Storage system and data reading method of storage system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor technology and provides a storage system and a data reading method for the storage system. The storage system includes: the storage system is configured to enter a read copy mode in response to a read copy enable signal. During the read copy mode, if at least two groups of data among multiple groups of data output from a storage array are identical, the at least two groups of data are defined as the same group, an identification signal for indicating data copying is output, and one group of data in the same group is transmitted to a corresponding data port, while the transmission path between the remaining groups of data in the same group and the corresponding data ports is disconnected. The present disclosure at least helps save power consumption when reading data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a storage system and a method for reading data from the storage system. Background Art

[0002] Memory is used in many electronic systems to store and retrieve information, such as in mobile phones, tablets, computers, servers, and other electronic systems that include a processor or require information storage. Memory can be controlled using memory commands, such as write and read commands, which are received by the memory over a command bus. Information to be stored can be written to the memory using a write command and retrieved at a later time by reading the information from the memory using a read command.

[0003] Among them, multiple data transmission paths can be driven in parallel to read multiple data from the memory. However, when the read data contains the same data, driving multiple data transmission paths consumes more power than driving a single data. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a storage system and a data reading method for the storage system, which are at least beneficial for saving power consumption when reading data.

[0005] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, on one hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage system, including: the storage system is configured to enter a read copy mode in response to a read copy enable signal, and during the read copy mode, if at least two groups of data among multiple groups of data output from the storage array are the same, the at least two groups of data are defined as the same group, an identification signal for characterizing data copying is output, and one group of data in the same group is transmitted to the corresponding data port, and the transmission path between the remaining groups of data in the same group and the corresponding data ports is disconnected.

[0006] In some embodiments, the storage system is further configured to output the identification signal if all groups of data in the plurality of groups of data are identical.

[0007] In some embodiments, the identification signal is a data mask signal, and the number of bits of the data mask signal is one.

[0008] In some embodiments, the storage system is further configured to, if there is at least one group of data among the multiple groups of data that is different from the data of the same group, transmit the at least one group of data to the corresponding data port and output a position signal, wherein the position signal is used to characterize the transmission path corresponding to the at least one group of data and the position of the data port.

[0009] In some embodiments, the position signal and the identification signal are generated by the same functional module.

[0010] In some embodiments, the storage system is further configured such that, if the number of the identical groups is greater than or equal to 2, the identification signal is further used to locate different identical groups.

[0011] In some embodiments, the storage system is further configured such that the data ports corresponding to the data in the remaining groups in the same group output preset values.

[0012] In some embodiments, the storage system includes: a processing module, which responds to the read copy enable signal and the multiple groups of data to output a first drive signal, a second drive signal and the identification signal; multiple data paths, each of the data paths serving as the transmission path for a group of the data between the storage array and the data port, the data paths corresponding to one group of the data in the same group being turned on in response to the first drive signal, and the data paths corresponding to the remaining groups of the data in the same group being turned off in response to the second drive signal; an identification signal path, the identification signal path being connected between the processing module and the identification port, the identification signal path being turned on in response to the first drive signal to transmit the identification signal to the identification port.

[0013] In some embodiments, the storage system further includes: a plurality of driver modules, each of the driver modules being connected between one of the data paths and one of the data ports, and being configured such that if the data path connected to the driver module is turned on, the data transmitted by the data path is output to the data port via the driver module.

[0014] In some embodiments, the storage system further includes: a forced output module, which is connected between the data path and the data port and is configured to, in response to the read copy enable signal and the identification signal, force the data ports corresponding to the data in the remaining groups in the same group to output preset values.

[0015] In some embodiments, the storage system further includes: a detection module, wherein the detection module is configured to detect whether each of the data paths is conductive and output a status signal, wherein the status signal is used to indicate whether each of the data paths is conductive.

[0016] In some embodiments, the data path includes: multiple stages of first transmission circuits connected in series, and each stage of the first transmission circuit is turned on based on the first drive signal or the second drive signal; the identification signal path includes: multiple stages of second transmission circuits connected in series, and each stage of the second transmission circuit is turned on based on the first drive signal to transmit the identification signal.

[0017] In some embodiments, the storage system further includes: an update module, which generates a new first drive signal or a new second drive signal for driving the first transmission circuit of the next level in response to the read copy enable signal and the identification signal output by the second transmission circuit of the previous level.

[0018] In some embodiments, the processing module is further configured to output a third drive signal if there is at least one set of data with different data among the multiple sets of data; the data path corresponding to the at least one set of data with different data is turned on in response to the third drive signal.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, on the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a data reading method for a storage system, comprising: responding to a read copy enable signal to enter a read copy mode, during the read copy mode, if at least two groups of data among multiple groups of data output from the storage array are the same, the at least two groups of data are defined as the same group, then an identification signal for characterizing data copying is output, and one group of data in the same group is transmitted to a corresponding data port, and the transmission path between the remaining groups of data in the same group and the corresponding data ports is disconnected.

[0020] In some embodiments, outputting an identification signal for indicating data replication includes: determining whether all groups of data in the multiple groups of data are identical; and outputting the identification signal if all groups of data in the multiple groups of data are identical.

[0021] In some embodiments, the data reading method further includes: the data ports corresponding to the data of the remaining groups in the same group output preset values.

[0022] In some embodiments, the data reading method further includes: if there is at least one group of data in the multiple groups of data that is different from the data in the same group, then the at least one group of data is also transmitted to the corresponding data port, and a position signal is output, and the position signal is used to characterize the transmission path corresponding to the at least one group of data and the position of the data port.

[0023] In some embodiments, the data reading method further includes: transmitting the identification signal to the identification port; wherein, transmitting a group of the data in the same group to the corresponding data port, and transmitting the identification signal to the identification port includes: responding to the read copy enable signal and the multiple groups of data to generate a first drive signal and a second drive signal; the data path corresponding to a group of the data in the same group is turned on in response to the first drive signal, and the data path corresponding to the remaining groups of the data in the same group is turned off in response to the second drive signal to transmit a group of the data in the same group to the corresponding data port; the identification signal path corresponding to the identification signal is turned on in response to the first drive signal to transmit the identification signal to the identification port.

[0024] In some embodiments, transmitting a group of the data in the same group to the corresponding data port, and transmitting the identification signal to the identification port, further includes: also responding to the read copy enable signal and the identification signal output by the previous node of the transmission path of the identification signal to generate a new first drive signal and a new second drive signal, and the new first drive signal and the new second drive signal serve as drive signals of the next node of the transmission path of the data.

[0025] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure has at least the following advantages:

[0026] During read-copy mode, if it is discovered that the data in multiple groups of data to be output from the storage array is identical, the transmission path for one group of data with the identical data to be output outside the storage system is connected, and the transmission paths for the data in other groups with the identical data to be output outside the storage system are disconnected. The transmission paths for the data in the other groups with the identical data will then retain the data from the last operation without flipping. That is, in this data transmission, the transmission paths for the data in the other groups with the identical data will not generate new power consumption, thereby helping to reduce the power consumption of reading data from the storage system. In addition, if the data in the multiple groups of data output from the storage array is identical, the storage system will also output an identification signal to indicate that duplication has occurred among the multiple groups of data in this data transmission. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] One or more embodiments are exemplarily illustrated by pictures in the corresponding drawings. These exemplifications do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are represented as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute proportional limitations.

[0028] Figure 1 A functional structural diagram of a storage system provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 Another functional structural diagram of a storage system provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another functional structure of a storage system provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another functional structure of a storage system provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] As known from the background art, the power consumption of reading data from a storage system needs to be reduced.

[0033] Analysis revealed that the memory interface specification has a Read Data Copy mode. In this mode, if multiple sets of data to be output are found to be identical, only one set of data will be transmitted. The output ends of the other sets of data paths are forced to output 0, and a flag is sent at the data mask port to indicate that data copying has occurred. After the receiving end receives the data and finds the flag on the data mask port, it will copy the above-mentioned normally transmitted set of data to the data ports of the other sets of data with input 0 to obtain complete data.

[0034] However, the transmission paths of the data of other groups are still conductive, and power consumption will still be generated during the data transmission process.

[0035] The present disclosure provides a storage system and a data reading method for the storage system. In the storage system, during a read-copy mode, if it is found that the same data exists among multiple groups of data that need to be output from a storage array, a transmission path for outputting one group of data in the same group to the outside of the storage system is connected, and a transmission path for outputting other groups of data in the same group to the outside of the storage system is disconnected. During this data transmission process, the transmission paths for the other groups of data in the same group will not generate new power consumption, thereby helping to reduce power consumption when reading data from the storage system.

[0036] The following describes various embodiments of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many technical details are provided in the various embodiments of the present disclosure to help readers better understand the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, even without these technical details and the various variations and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical solutions claimed in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0037] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage system, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 A functional structural diagram of a storage system provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 Another functional structural diagram of a storage system provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another functional structure of a storage system provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another functional structure of a storage system provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, reference Figure 1 The storage system 100 is configured to enter a read copy mode in response to a read copy enable signal 101a, and during the read copy mode, if at least two groups of data among the multiple groups of data output from the storage array 102 are the same, define the at least two groups of data as the same group, output an identification signal 101b for indicating data copy, transmit one group of data in the same group to the corresponding data port 103, and disconnect the transmission path between the remaining groups of data in the same group and the corresponding data ports 103.

[0039] In some embodiments, continue to refer to Figure 1 The multiple data sets output from the storage array 102 may be 8 sets of data, for example, D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0>, D5<7:0>, D6<7:0>, and D7<7:0>, each set of data includes an 8-bit unsigned number. Any two sets of data being the same means that the arrangement order of the 8-bit unsigned numbers in any two sets of data is the same. It should be noted that Figure 1 In the example, eight groups of data are output from the storage array 102, and each group of data includes an 8-bit unsigned number. In actual applications, there is no limit on the number of groups of data output from the storage array 102 and the number of bits of the unsigned number included in each group of data.

[0040] Since at least two groups of data among the eight groups of data, for example, the data of D0<7:0> and D1<7:0> are the same, D0<7:0> and D1<7:0> can be defined as the same group, and an identification signal 101b for representing data replication is output, and D0<7:0> is transmitted to the corresponding data port 103, and the transmission path between D1<7:0> and the corresponding data port 103 is disconnected. In this way, the transmission path between D1<7:0> and the corresponding data port 103 does not generate new power consumption, which is beneficial to reducing the power consumption of reading data from the storage system 100.

[0041] How to read data in the memory is described in detail below through three embodiments.

[0042] In some embodiments, the storage system 100 may be further configured to output an identification signal 101 b if all groups of data in the plurality of groups of data are identical. For example, the data in D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0>, D5<7:0>, D6<7:0>, and D7<7:0> are all the same. Therefore, one of the eight groups of data, such as D0<7:0>, can be selected. The transmission path transmitting D0<7:0> to the corresponding data port 103 is turned on, and the transmission paths of the remaining groups of data in the same group to the corresponding data ports 103, such as the seven transmission paths from D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0>, D5<7:0>, D6<7:0>, and D7<7:0> to the corresponding data ports 103, are disconnected. In this way, when the eight groups of identical data are transmitted, unnecessary power consumption in the transmission paths corresponding to the seven groups of data can be avoided, thereby further reducing the power consumption generated by reading data in the storage system 100.

[0043] It should be noted that in actual applications, the data in all N groups of data may be identical. In this case, when transmitting the N groups of data, unnecessary power consumption generated by the N-1 transmission paths corresponding to the N-1 group of data can be avoided, thereby reducing the power consumption generated by reading data in the storage system. Where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0044] When all of the multiple sets of data are identical, identification signal 101b may be a data mask signal, and the number of bits of the data mask signal is one. Thus, based on the data mask signal, it can be determined that all of the multiple sets of data in the data transmission are identical, facilitating subsequent copying of the data output by the connected transmission paths to obtain the final desired data.

[0045] In other embodiments, the storage system 100 can also be configured to transmit at least one set of data to the corresponding data port 103 and output a position signal (not shown in the figure) if there is at least one set of data different from the same set of data in the multiple sets of data. The position signal is used to characterize the transmission path corresponding to the at least one set of data and the position of the data port 103.

[0046] For example, among D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0>, D5<7:0>, D6<7:0>, and D7<7:0>, the data in D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0>, and D5<7:0> are the same, but the data in D6<7:0> is different from the data in D0<7:0>, and the data in D7<7:0> is the same as that in D0<7:0>. If the data in D0<7:0> and the data in D6<7:0> are different, meaning that three of the eight data sets are different, the storage system 100 transmits the data in D0<7:0> to the data port 103 corresponding to D0<7:0>. Furthermore, based on the position signal, the storage system 100 also transmits the data in D6<7:0> to the data port 103 corresponding to D6<7:0> and the data in D7<7:0> to the data port 103 corresponding to D7<7:0>. In this way, the positions of the transmission paths for D0<7:0>, D6<7:0>, and D7<7:0> and the corresponding data port 103 positions are determined based on the position signal, preventing erroneous reading of the data transmitted to the data port 103. The storage system 100 then connects the three transmission paths to transmit data in D0<7:0>, D6<7:0>, and D7<7:0>. Meanwhile, the storage system disconnects the remaining five transmission paths to avoid unnecessary power loss during data transmission.

[0047] In addition, since the data in D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0> and D5<7:0> are the same, in actual applications, it is sufficient to select any set of data to connect the transmission path between the corresponding data port 103. For the convenience of description above, the transmission path between D0<7:0> and the data port 103 corresponding to D0<7:0> is selected to be connected.

[0048] It should be noted that the above is only a specific example given for the convenience of description. In actual applications, data transmission can be achieved through the above solution as long as there is at least one group of data in multiple groups of data that is different from the data in the same group.

[0049] The position signal and the identification signal can be generated by the same functional module. This helps reduce the number of functional modules in the storage system and improve the utilization rate of a single functional module in the storage system. In some embodiments, the position signal and the identification signal can both be generated by the processing module 101.

[0050] In some examples, the storage system can be configured to: control which transmission paths correspond to data ports 103 for replication based on the location signal, that is, to determine which transmission paths are disconnected based on the location signal, and replicate data transmitted by the connected transmission paths to the data ports 103 corresponding to the disconnected transmission paths. For example, since the data in D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0>, and D5<7:0> are identical, if it is determined based on the position signal that the transmission path from D0<7:0> to the data port 103 corresponding to D0<7:0> is connected and the five transmission paths corresponding to D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0>, and D5<7:0> are disconnected, the transmitted D0<7:0> is copied to the five data ports 103 corresponding to D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0>, and D5<7:0>, respectively. Furthermore, the storage system can be configured to control which transmission paths are connected and which are disconnected based on the position signal. In this way, the processing module does not need to generate a driving signal to control whether the transmission paths are connected or disconnected.

[0051] In some further embodiments, the storage system may be further configured such that, if the number of identical groups is greater than or equal to 2, the identification signal 101b is further used to locate different identical groups.

[0052] For example, among D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, D3<7:0>, D4<7:0>, D5<7:0>, D6<7:0>, and D7<7:0>, the data in D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, and D3<7:0> are the same, the data in D4<7:0>, D5<7:0>, D6<7:0>, and D7<7:0> are the same, and the data in D0<7:0> is different from the data in D4<7:0>, that is, there are two identical groups with different data among the eight groups of data. In this case, the storage system 100 will transmit the data in D0<7:0> to the data port 103 corresponding to D0<7:0> according to the identification signal 101b, and simultaneously transmit the data in D4<7:0> to the data port 103 corresponding to D4<7:0>. In this way, the identification signal 101b is not only used to indicate which data groups have the same data, but also to indicate the location information of the data groups with the same data, so as to prevent the misreading of the data transmitted to the data port 103; moreover, the remaining 6 transmission paths can be disconnected according to the identification signal 101b to avoid unnecessary power loss when transmitting data.

[0053] In addition, since the data in D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0> and D3<7:0> are the same, in actual applications, it is sufficient to select any one group of data to connect the transmission path between the corresponding data port 103. For the convenience of description above, the transmission path between D0<7:0> and the data port 103 corresponding to D0<7:0> is selected to be connected; since the data in D4<7:0>, D5<7:0>, D6<7:0> and D7<7:0> are the same, in actual applications, it is sufficient to select any one group of data to connect the transmission path between the corresponding data port 103. For the convenience of description above, the transmission path between D4<7:0> and the data port 103 corresponding to D4<7:0> is selected to be connected.

[0054] It should be noted that the above examples are merely for ease of description. When the number of identical groups is two, the data in D0<7:0>, D1<7:0>, D2<7:0>, and D3<7:0> are identical. In actual applications, the groups with identical data can also be other groups, including multiple consecutive data groups or multiple data groups with gaps between them. This is not limited in the present embodiment. Furthermore, the number of identical groups can also be greater than two.

[0055] In the above three embodiments, the storage system can also be configured so that the data ports 103 corresponding to the remaining groups of data in the same group output preset values. Since the transmission path from the remaining groups of data to the corresponding data ports 103 is disconnected, the data ports 103 corresponding to the remaining groups of data cannot receive real data, so that the data ports 103 corresponding to the remaining groups of data output preset values, indicating that the data to be output by the data port 103 is the same as the data transmitted by the conductive transmission path, which is conducive to further avoiding the misreading of the data output by the data port 103 corresponding to the remaining groups of data. In addition, outputting the preset value is used to meet the JEDEC specification. Outputting the preset value can reduce the power consumption required to output data from the data port 103, thereby reducing the power consumption of reading data from the storage system 100, wherein the JEDEC specification is a standard established by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council for the semiconductor industry. In some embodiments, the preset value can be 0.

[0056] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, reference Figure 1The storage system includes: a processing module 101, which responds to a read copy enable signal 101a and multiple groups of data to output a first drive signal 101c, a second drive signal 101d and an identification signal 101b; multiple data paths 104, each data path 104 serving as a transmission path for a group of data between a storage array 102 and a data port 103, wherein the data path 104 corresponding to a group of data in the same group is turned on in response to the first drive signal 101c, and the data paths 104 corresponding to the remaining groups of data in the same group are turned off in response to the second drive signal 101d; an identification signal path 105, which is connected between the processing module 101 and the identification port 106, and is turned on in response to the first drive signal 101c to transmit the identification signal 101b to the identification port 106.

[0057] Since one data path 104 is randomly selected from multiple groups of data with the same data and is turned on upon receiving the first drive signal 101c, and the data paths 104 of the remaining groups in the same group are all turned off upon receiving the second drive signal 101d, when transmitting the multiple groups of data with the same data, only one data path 104 can be controlled to be turned on by the first drive signal 101c, and the data paths 104 corresponding to the remaining groups in the multiple groups of data can be controlled to be turned off by the second drive signal 101d. This can avoid unnecessary power consumption in the transmission paths corresponding to the remaining groups in the multiple groups of data, thereby further reducing the power consumption generated by reading data in the storage system 100.

[0058] In some embodiments, the storage system may include: a control module (not shown in the figure), which can control which data ports 103 corresponding to which transmission paths are copied based on the position signal, that is, based on the position signal, it is known which transmission paths are disconnected, and the data transmitted by the conductive transmission paths are copied to the data ports 103 corresponding to the disconnected transmission paths; further, the control module can control which transmission paths are disconnected and which transmission paths are conductive based on the position signal. In this way, there is no need to generate the first drive signal 101c by the processing module 101 to control the transmission path to be conductive, or to generate the second drive signal 101d by the processing module 101 to control the transmission path to be disconnected.

[0059] In some embodiments, reference Figure 2 The data path 104 may include: a plurality of stages of first transmission circuits 114 connected in series, and each stage of the first transmission circuit 114 is turned on based on the first drive signal 101c or the second drive signal 101d; the identification signal path 105 may include: a plurality of stages of second transmission circuits 115 connected in series, and each stage of the second transmission circuit 115 is turned on based on the first drive signal 101c to transmit the identification signal 101b.

[0060] During data transmission from the storage array 102 to the data port 103, data is easily distorted due to the length of the data path 104. That is, by the time the data is transmitted to the data port 103, it is already different from the data output from the storage array 102, leading to erroneous reading of the data in the storage array 102. Therefore, the data path 104 includes multiple stages of first transmission circuits 114 connected in series. This helps ensure that the data to be transmitted by the data path 104 is not distorted after being processed by each stage of the first transmission circuit 114.

[0061] During transmission, identification signal 101b is susceptible to transmission distortion due to the length of identification signal path 105. That is, by the time identification signal 101b reaches identification port 106, it is already different from the identification signal 101b output by processing module 101, leading to misreading of identification signal 101b. This makes it difficult to use identification signal 101b to determine whether multiple sets of data in storage array 102 are duplicated, and which sets of data are identical. Therefore, including multiple stages of second transmission circuits 115 in series in identification signal path 105 helps ensure that identification signal 101b transmitted by identification signal path 105 is not distorted after being processed by each stage of second transmission circuit 115.

[0062] It should be noted that Figure 2 In the example, the data path 104 includes two first transmission circuits 114 connected in series, and the identification signal path 105 includes two second transmission circuits 115 connected in series. In actual applications, there is no restriction on the number of first transmission circuits 114 included in the data path 104 and the number of second transmission circuits 115 included in the identification signal path 105.

[0063] Among them, continue to refer to Figure 2 The storage system 100 may further include: an update module 107, which generates a new first drive signal 101c or a new second drive signal 101d for driving the next-stage first transmission circuit 114 in response to the read copy enable signal 101a and the identification signal 101b output by the previous-stage second transmission circuit 115.

[0064] Because the identification signal 101b can indicate data duplication, that is, which groups have the same data, the update module 107 can generate a new first drive signal 101c for the next-stage first transmission circuit 114 that needs to transmit data, and a new second drive signal 101d for the next-stage first transmission circuit 114 of the data path 104 whose previous-stage first transmission circuit 114 is disabled, based on the identification signal 101b output by the previous-stage second transmission circuit 115. This ensures that the data to be transmitted on the data path 104 is not distorted after being processed by each stage of the first transmission circuit 114. It also helps ensure that each stage of the first transmission circuit 114 of the data paths 104 corresponding to other groups in the same group is disabled, preventing interference with data transmission and reducing power consumption when reading data from the storage system 100.

[0065] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 The first transmission circuit 114 may include a first driver 124 and a first latch 134. The first driver 124 drives the first transmission circuit 114 in response to the first drive signal 101c, or disconnects the first transmission circuit 114 in response to the second drive signal 101d. Thus, after the first driver 124 is turned on, the data transmitted by the first transmission circuit 114 is divided into two paths: one path is transmitted to the first latch 134 for latching, and the other path is transmitted to the first transmission circuit 114 of the next stage.

[0066] The second transmission circuit 115 may include a second driver 125 and a second latch 135. The second driver 125 responds to the first drive signal 101c to drive the second transmission circuit 115. Thus, after the second driver 125 is turned on, the data transmitted by the second transmission circuit 115 is divided into two paths: one path is transmitted to the second latch 135 for latching, and the other path is transmitted to the second transmission circuit 115 of the next stage.

[0067] In some embodiments, the processing module 101 can also be configured to output a third drive signal (not shown in the figure) if there is at least one group of data with different data among the multiple groups of data; the data path 104 corresponding to the at least one group of data with different data is turned on in response to the third drive signal.

[0068] Since some of the multiple groups of data have the same data while the data of other groups are different from the data of the same group, the first drive signal 101c and the second drive signal 101d are generated based on the data of the same group while a third drive signal of the other group that is different from the data of the same group is also generated. This is beneficial in ensuring that only one of the multiple data paths 104 corresponding to the data of the same group is turned on to save power consumption consumed by data transmission, while at the same time, based on the third drive signal, the data paths 104 corresponding to the other groups that are different from the data of the same group are turned on.

[0069] In some embodiments, reference Figure 4 The storage system 100 may further include: a plurality of driver modules 108, each of which is connected between a data path 104 and a data port 103 and configured such that, if the data path 104 connected to the driver module 108 is on, data transmitted by the data path 104 is output to the data port 103 via the driver module 108. Thus, if the data path 104 connected to the driver module 108 is off, the driver module 108 is turned off, thereby avoiding unnecessary power consumption by the driver module 108 and reducing power consumption when reading data from the storage system 100.

[0070] In some embodiments, continue to refer to Figure 4 The storage system 100 may further include a forced output module 109, which is connected between the data path 104 and the data port 103 and is configured to, in response to the read copy enable signal 101a and the identification signal 101b, force the data ports 103 corresponding to the remaining groups of data in the same group to output a preset value. Thus, when the data path 104 connected to the driver module 108 is cut off, the forced output module 109 can cause the data port 103 corresponding to the cut-off data path 104 to output the preset value to meet the JEDEC specification. Outputting the preset value helps further reduce the power consumption required to output data from the data port 103, thereby reducing the power consumption of reading data from the storage system 100. In addition, the preset value can indicate that the data to be output by the data port 103 is the same as the data transmitted by the enabled data path 104, which helps further avoid erroneous reading of data output by the data port 103 corresponding to the remaining groups of data in the same group.

[0071] In some embodiments, the storage system 100 may further include: a detection module (not shown in the figure), which is configured to detect whether each data path 104 is conductive and output a status signal, wherein the status signal is used to indicate whether each data path 104 is conductive.

[0072] Because the number of identical groups of data to be transmitted in the storage array 102 is greater than or equal to two, the detection module detects whether each data path 104 is connected, thereby locating which data ports 103 corresponding to the data paths 104 need to transmit the same data and which data ports need to transmit different data, thereby preventing misreading of data output by the data ports 103. For example, if the detection module detects that a data path 104 is blocked, indicating that the data to be transmitted by the data path 104 is the same as that of the connected data paths 104, the data port 103 corresponding to the blocked data path 104 is forced to output a preset value, such as 0, and then the data transmitted by the connected data path 104 is copied to the output of the data port 103 corresponding to the blocked data path 104. If the detection module detects that a data path 104 is connected and the data output by the data port 103 corresponding to the data path 104 is 0, the data output by the data port 103 is not subsequently copied, thereby preventing misreading of the data output by the data port 103.

[0073] In summary, during the read copy mode, if it is found that the data in multiple groups of data that need to be output from the storage array 102 are the same, the data path 104 for outputting one group of data with the same data to the outside of the storage system 100 is turned on, and the data paths 104 for outputting the data in other groups with the same data to the outside of the storage system 100 are disconnected. Then, during this data transmission process, the data paths 104 corresponding to the other groups of data in the same group will not generate new power consumption, which is beneficial to reducing the power consumption of reading data from the storage system 100.

[0074] Another embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a data reading method for a storage system, which is applied to the memory provided in the above embodiment. The data reading method for a storage system provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] A data reading method for a storage system includes: responding to a read copy enable signal to enter a read copy mode; during the read copy mode, if at least two sets of data among a plurality of sets of data output from a storage array are identical, the at least two sets of data are defined as the same group; outputting an identification signal for indicating data copying; transmitting one set of data in the same group to a corresponding data port; and disconnecting a transmission path between the remaining sets of data in the same group and the corresponding data ports. In this manner, the transmission path between the remaining sets of data in the same group and the corresponding data ports does not generate additional power consumption, thereby facilitating reduced power consumption when reading data from the storage system.

[0076] In some embodiments, the step of outputting an identification signal for indicating data replication may include determining whether all of the multiple sets of data are identical; and outputting an identification signal if all of the multiple sets of data are identical. In this manner, if all of the N sets of data are identical, the identification signal may be used to disconnect the transmission path corresponding to the N-1 set of data during transmission of the N sets of data, thereby avoiding unnecessary power consumption in the N-1 transmission paths corresponding to the N-1 set of data, thereby reducing power consumption in reading data from the storage system. N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0077] In some embodiments, the data reading method of the storage system may further include: outputting a preset value to the data ports corresponding to the remaining groups of data in the same group. This facilitates using the preset value to indicate that the data to be output by the remaining groups of data in the same group is the same as the data transmitted by the conductive transmission path, thereby further preventing erroneous reading of data output from the data ports corresponding to the remaining groups of data. Furthermore, outputting the preset value is used to meet JEDEC specifications, which further reduces the power consumption required to output data from the data port 103, thereby reducing the power consumption of reading data from the storage system 100. The preset value may be 0.

[0078] In some embodiments, the data reading method of the storage system may further include: if at least one set of data different from the data in the same set exists among the multiple sets of data, further transmitting the at least one set of data to a corresponding data port and outputting a position signal, the position signal being used to characterize the transmission path corresponding to the at least one set of data and the position of the data port. In this way, the position of the transmission path corresponding to the set of data in the same group to which data transmission is performed can be obtained based on the position signal, as can the position of the transmission path corresponding to at least one set of data different from the data in the same group, thereby preventing erroneous reading of data transmitted to the data port. Furthermore, a transmission path corresponding to the set of data in the same group is turned on, as is at least one transmission path corresponding to at least one set of data different from the data in the same group. This facilitates the simultaneous transmission of at least two sets of data with different data while avoiding unnecessary power loss during data transmission.

[0079] In some embodiments, the data reading method of the storage system may further include: transmitting an identification signal to an identification port; wherein, transmitting a group of data in the same group to a corresponding data port, and transmitting the identification signal to the identification port includes: responding to a read copy enable signal and multiple groups of data to generate a first drive signal and a second drive signal; the data path corresponding to a group of data in the same group is turned on in response to the first drive signal, and the data paths corresponding to the remaining groups of data in the same group are turned off in response to the second drive signal to transmit a group of data in the same group to the corresponding data port; the identification signal path corresponding to the identification signal is turned on in response to the first drive signal to transmit the identification signal to the identification port.

[0080] In this way, when transmitting multiple sets of identical data, a first drive signal can be used to control only one of the data paths corresponding to the multiple sets of data to be conductive, while a second drive signal can be used to control the data paths corresponding to the remaining sets of data to be blocked. This can avoid unnecessary power consumption in the transmission paths corresponding to the remaining sets of data, thereby further reducing the power consumption associated with reading data in the storage system. Subsequently, based on the identification signal, the data output by the data ports corresponding to the remaining sets of data can be copied to the data transmitted by the conductive data paths.

[0081] The data path may include: multiple stages of first transmission circuits connected in series, with each stage of the first transmission circuit being turned on based on a first drive signal or a second drive signal; and the identification signal path may include: multiple stages of second transmission circuits connected in series, with each stage of the second transmission circuit being turned on based on a first drive signal to transmit an identification signal. This helps ensure that the data to be transmitted by the data path is not distorted after being processed by each stage of the first transmission circuit, and helps ensure that the identification signal to be transmitted by the identification signal path is not distorted after being processed by each stage of the second transmission circuit.

[0082] Therefore, the steps of transmitting a set of data in the same group to the corresponding data port and transmitting the identification signal to the identification port may also include: also responding to the read copy enable signal and the identification signal output by the previous node of the transmission path of the identification signal to generate a new first drive signal and a new second drive signal, and the new first drive signal and the new second drive signal serve as the drive signals of the next node of the data transmission path.

[0083] In this way, while ensuring that the data to be transmitted in the data path is not distorted after being processed by the first transmission circuit at each stage, it is also beneficial to ensure that the first transmission circuits at each stage of the data paths corresponding to other groups in the same group are cut off, thereby preventing interference with data transmission and reducing power consumption when reading data from the storage system.

[0084] To summarize, when the storage system enters the read copy mode in response to the read copy enable signal, if it is found that there is identical data among multiple groups of data that need to be output from the storage array, an identification signal for representing data copying is output, and based on the identification signal, a data path for outputting one group of data in the group with identical data to the outside of the storage system is turned on, and a data path for outputting data in other groups with identical data to the outside of the storage system is disconnected. During this data transmission process, the data path for the data in other groups with identical data will not generate new power consumption, thereby helping to reduce the power consumption of reading data from the storage system.

[0085] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described embodiments are specific examples for implementing the present disclosure, and that in actual applications, various changes may be made to the embodiments in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Any person skilled in the art may make changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure shall be based on the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A storage system, characterized in that: include: The storage system is configured to enter a read copy mode in response to a read copy enable signal, and during the read copy mode, if at least two groups of data among the multiple groups of data output from the storage array are the same, the at least two groups of data are defined as the same group, an identification signal for characterizing data copying is output, and one group of data in the same group is transmitted to the corresponding data port, and the transmission path between the remaining groups of data in the same group and the corresponding data port is disconnected; the storage system is also configured to, if there is at least one group of data among the multiple groups of data that is different from the data in the same group, the at least one group of data is also transmitted to the corresponding data port, and a position signal is output, wherein the position signal is used to characterize the transmission path corresponding to the at least one group of data and the position of the data port.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The storage system is further configured to output the identification signal if all the groups of data in the plurality of groups of data are identical.

3. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein: The identification signal is a data mask signal, and the number of bits of the data mask signal is one.

4. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The position signal and the identification signal are generated by the same functional module.

5. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The storage system is further configured such that, if the number of the identical groups is greater than or equal to 2, the identification signal is further used to locate different identical groups.

6. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The storage system is further configured such that the data ports corresponding to the data in the remaining groups in the same group output preset values.

7. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The storage system includes: a processing module, the processing module responding to the read copy enable signal and the multiple sets of data to output a first drive signal, a second drive signal and the identification signal; a plurality of data paths, each of the data paths serving as the transmission path for a group of the data between the storage array and the data port, the data paths corresponding to a group of the data in the same group being turned on in response to the first drive signal, and the data paths corresponding to the remaining groups of the data in the same group being turned off in response to the second drive signal; An identification signal path is connected between the processing module and the identification port, and the identification signal path is turned on in response to the first driving signal to transmit the identification signal to the identification port.

8. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein: The storage system further includes: A plurality of driving modules are provided, each of which is connected between a data path and a data port and is configured such that if the data path connected to the driving module is conductive, the data transmitted by the data path is output to the data port via the driving module.

9. The storage system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: The storage system further includes: A forced output module is connected between the data path and the data port and is configured to, in response to the read copy enable signal and the identification signal, force the data ports corresponding to the data of the remaining groups in the same group to output preset values.

10. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein: The storage system further includes: The detection module is configured to detect whether each of the data paths is conductive and output a status signal, wherein the status signal is used to indicate whether each of the data paths is conductive.

11. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein: The data path includes: a plurality of stages of first transmission circuits connected in series, wherein each stage of the first transmission circuit is turned on based on the first drive signal or the second drive signal; The identification signal path includes: A plurality of stages of second transmission circuits are connected in series, and each stage of the second transmission circuit is turned on based on the first driving signal to transmit the identification signal.

12. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein: The storage system further includes: An update module generates a new first drive signal or a new second drive signal for driving the first transmission circuit of the next stage in response to the read copy enable signal and the identification signal output by the second transmission circuit of the previous stage.

13. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein: The processing module is further configured to output a third driving signal if there is at least one set of data with different data among the multiple sets of data; The data paths corresponding to at least one group of data having different data are turned on in response to the third driving signal.

14. A data reading method of a storage system, characterized in that: include: In response to a read copy enable signal, the memory array enters a read copy mode. During the read copy mode, if at least two groups of data among the plurality of groups of data output from the memory array are identical, the at least two groups of data are defined as the same group, an identification signal for indicating data copying is output, one group of data in the same group is transmitted to a corresponding data port, and a transmission path between the remaining groups of data in the same group and the corresponding data ports is disconnected. It also includes: if there is at least one group of data different from the data of the same group among the multiple groups of data, the at least one group of data is also transmitted to the corresponding data port, and a position signal is output, and the position signal is used to characterize the transmission path corresponding to the at least one group of data and the position of the data port.

15. The data reading method of the storage system according to claim 14, wherein: The output is used to indicate an identification signal of data replication, including: Determining whether all of the multiple sets of data are the same; If all the groups of data in the plurality of groups of data are identical, the identification signal is output.

16. The data reading method according to claim 14, wherein: Also includes: The data ports corresponding to the data of the remaining groups in the same group output preset values.

17. The data reading method according to claim 14, wherein: Also includes: Transmitting the identification signal to the identification port; wherein transmitting a group of the data in the same group to the corresponding data port, and transmitting the identification signal to the identification port, comprises: In response to the read copy enable signal and the multiple groups of data, a first driving signal and a second driving signal are generated; a data path corresponding to one group of the data in the same group is turned on in response to the first driving signal, and the data paths corresponding to the other groups of the data in the same group are turned off in response to the second driving signal, so as to transmit one group of the data in the same group to the corresponding data port; The identification signal path corresponding to the identification signal is turned on in response to the first driving signal to transmit the identification signal to the identification port.

18. The data reading method according to claim 17, wherein: Transmitting a set of the data in the same group to the corresponding data port, and transmitting the identification signal to the identification port, further comprising: It also responds to the read copy enable signal and the identification signal output by the previous node of the transmission path of the identification signal to generate a new first drive signal and a new second drive signal, and the new first drive signal and the new second drive signal serve as the drive signals of the next node of the transmission path of the data.

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