Electronic device, electronic system including the same, and operating method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic device, an electronic system including the same, and an operating method thereof. An example electronic device mounted in a vehicle includes a communication interface and a data retention circuit that communicates through the communication interface. The data retention circuit estimates a temperature of the storage device based on information on an external temperature received through the communication interface and a preset temperature offset, and determines a data management period of the storage device in an off state based on the estimated temperature of the storage device and a data retention parameter.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Nowadays, storage devices using memory devices such as solid state drives (SSDs) are widely used. Since the storage device does not include a mechanical drive unit, the storage device provides excellent stability and durability, and has the advantage of very high speed of accessing information and low power consumption.

[0002] Nowadays, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication for transmitting and / or receiving data through a wired and / or wireless communication network is being used in vehicles. V2X communication makes it possible to transmit and / or receive data for autonomous driving of the vehicle and to update high-definition map data (e.g., HD map) and update the operating system of the car in an over-the-air (OTA) manner.

[0003] Storage devices are used in autonomous vehicles to store data sensed by cameras, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, and radars and / or data received from cloud servers.

[0004] The storage device may include a non-volatile memory device. When the vehicle is parked, the power supplied to the storage device may be cut off for a long time. In the power-off state of the storage device, the reliability of the data stored therein may be reduced depending on the temperature of exposure and the duration of the power-off state. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present disclosure relates to electronic devices including an electronic device capable of reducing power consumption of a storage device and improving reliability of data stored in the storage device to be installed in an autonomous vehicle, an electronic system including the electronic device, and an operating method thereof.

[0006] In general, in some aspects, the subject matter of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device installed in a vehicle, wherein the electronic device includes a communication interface and a data retention manager that communicates with the outside through the communication interface. The data retention manager estimates the temperature of a storage device based on information about an external temperature received through the communication interface and a preset temperature offset, and determines a data management period of the storage device in a closed state based on the estimated temperature and a data retention parameter of the storage device.

[0007] In general, in some other aspects, the subject matter of the present disclosure relates to an electronic system, which includes an electronic device installed in a vehicle, wherein the electronic system also includes a battery system and a storage device. The electronic device estimates the temperature of the storage device based on the received information about the external temperature and the preset temperature offset; determines the data management cycle of the storage device in a closed state based on the estimated temperature and data retention parameters of the storage device; and when the data management cycle is reached, outputs a battery control signal for supplying power to the storage device in the closed state, and outputs a data retention management signal to the storage device. The battery system supplies power to the storage device in the closed state in response to the battery control signal, and the storage device performs a data management operation in response to the data retention management signal.

[0008] Generally, in some other aspects, the subject matter of the present disclosure relates to an operating method of an electronic device installed in a vehicle, wherein the operating method includes: receiving information about an external temperature; estimating a temperature of a storage device based on the external temperature and a preset temperature offset; determining a data management cycle of the storage device in a closed state based on the estimated temperature and a data retention parameter of the storage device; and when the data management cycle is reached, outputting a battery control signal to a battery system and outputting a data management signal to the storage device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The above and other objects and features of the present disclosure will become apparent by describing in detail the implementation thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example electronic system.

[0011] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of an example electronic device.

[0012] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of an example storage device.

[0013] Figure 4 is an exemplary diagram for describing a change in the threshold voltage of a memory cell caused in a memory device placed alone in a turned-off state for a long time.

[0014] Figure 5 is an example flow chart for describing the operation of an electronic system.

[0015] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B is a diagram for describing an example of an operation in which an electronic device estimates a temperature of a storage device.

[0016] Figure 7is a diagram for describing another example of an operation in which an electronic device estimates a temperature of a storage device.

[0017] Figure 8 is a graph showing an example of data retention time according to the temperature of a storage device.

[0018] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example exposure schedule.

[0019] Fig.10 It shows that according to Fig. 9 Schematic representation of an example reaction volume for an exposure schedule.

[0020] Fig.11 is a diagram for describing an example of an operation in which an electronic device estimates a temperature of a storage device for each of a plurality of time periods.

[0021] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram showing an example scale factor table.

[0022] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram for describing an example of an operation in which an electronic device determines a data management period based on a temperature of a storage device for each of a plurality of time periods.

[0023] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram for describing an example of a data management operation performed by a storage device.

[0024] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram for describing another example of a data management operation performed by a storage device.

[0025] Fig.16 is a schematic diagram for describing another example of a data management operation performed by a storage device.

[0026] Fig.17 is a flowchart for describing an example of a data recovery operation performed by a storage device.

[0027] Fig.18 is a schematic diagram for describing an example of an operation in which an electronic device receives a defense code sequence.

[0028] Fig.19A and Fig.19B is a schematic diagram for describing an example of a defense code executed by an electronic device.

[0029] Fig. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of operating an electronic device.

[0030] Fig.21 is an example diagram illustrating communications of electronic devices installed in an autonomous vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art will appreciate that the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] Although this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular implementation of a particular invention. Certain features described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented individually in multiple implementations or in any suitable sub-combination. In addition, although features may be described above as working in certain combinations and even initially claimed in their own right, in some cases, one or more features from a claimed combination may be deleted from the combination, and a claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or a variation of a sub-combination.

[0033] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example electronic system. Figure 1 , the electronic system 100 includes an electronic device 110, a storage device 120, and a battery system 130 installed in an autonomous vehicle.

[0034] The electronic device 110 may receive weather information WI including an external temperature OTEMP. The electronic device 110 may estimate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 based on the received external temperature OTEMP and a preset temperature offset TOS. The electronic device 110 may determine the data management period DMP of the storage device 120 based on the estimated temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 and the data retention parameter DRP.

[0035] When the data management period DMP is reached, the electronic device 110 may output a battery control signal BCS for supplying power to the storage device 120 to the battery system 130 , and may output a data retention management signal RMS to the storage device 120 .

[0036] The weather information WI may include various information about the weather conditions of the autonomous vehicle in which the electronic system 100 is installed. For example, the weather information WI may include an outside temperature OTEMP and a weather type WT. The outside temperature OTEMP, which is the outside atmospheric temperature, may represent the temperature to which the autonomous vehicle is exposed. The weather type WT corresponds to the weather state to which the vehicle is exposed, such as clear, cloudy, rain, snow, and wind. In addition to the outside temperature OTEMP and the weather information WI, the weather information WI may also include various information, such as humidity, rainfall, and snowfall.

[0037] The temperature offset TOS is an offset value for estimating the temperature of the storage device 120 by the external temperature OTEMP. The temperature offset TOS may correspond to the difference between the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 and the external temperature OTEMP when the autonomous vehicle is parked. The electronic device 110 may correct the temperature by adding the external temperature OTEMP and the preset temperature offset TOS, and thereby estimate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 in the closed state without receiving the temperature of the storage device 120 from the storage device 120 in the closed state.

[0038] The data retention parameter DRP is a parameter associated with the data retention capability of the storage device 120. The data retention parameter DRP may include an acceleration constant and a data retention time according to a reference temperature. The data retention time corresponds to a time that can ensure the reliability of the data stored in the storage device 120 under a reference temperature environment. The data retention time according to the reference temperature may vary depending on the characteristics of the storage device 120, the purpose of the storage device 120, and the operation strategy of the storage device 120. The acceleration constant, which is a constant associated with the chemical reaction rate, may be a value corresponding to the activation energy of the Arrhenius equation. In a storage device 120 including a flash memory, data retention depends on the temperature and time of exposure. According to the Arrhenius equation, as the temperature increases, the reaction rate of the particles increases. The increase in the particle reaction rate may affect the activation of the electrons stored in the flash memory. Therefore, the reduction in data retention may be caused depending on the temperature to which the storage device 120 is exposed. When the storage device 120 is placed alone for a long time under high or low temperature external conditions, the reliability of the data stored therein may be reduced.

[0039] The data management period DMP corresponds to a time period from when the power of the storage device 120 is cut off to when the data management operation should be performed. When the data retention capability of the storage device 120 increases, the data management period DMP may increase. Meanwhile, as the temperature of the storage device 120 in the shutdown state increases, the reaction rate, that is, the data degradation speed may increase, and therefore, the data management period DMP may decrease.

[0040] The memory device 120 included in the electronic system 100 may include a memory controller 121 and a nonvolatile memory device 122 .

[0041] The memory controller 121 may control the operation of the memory device 120. For example, the memory controller 121 may control the operation of the nonvolatile memory device 122 based on commands and data received from the electronic device 110.

[0042] The non-volatile memory device 122 may store data in a non-transitory manner. For example, the non-volatile memory device 122 may store metadata, user data, and various data generated in the autonomous vehicle.

[0043] The non-volatile memory device 122 may include a NAND flash memory. The non-volatile memory device 122 may include an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a PRAM (Phase Change Random Access Memory), an RRAM (Resistance Random Access Memory), an NFGM (Nano Floating Gate Memory), a PoRAM device (Polymer Random Access Memory), an MRAM (Magnetic Random Access Memory), a FRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory), or any other memory similar thereto.

[0044] The data retention capability may vary depending on the internal structure of the nonvolatile memory device 122, the physical properties of the nonvolatile memory device 122, or the operation method of the storage device 120. In some embodiments, the data retention capability of a relatively highly integrated nonvolatile memory device 122 may be lower than the data retention capability of a relatively less integrated nonvolatile memory device 122. In addition, the data retention capability of a nonvolatile memory device 122 storing data in a multi-level cell (MLC) manner may be lower than the data retention capability of a nonvolatile memory device 122 storing data in a single-level cell (SLC) manner. Therefore, the data retention time or acceleration constant according to the reference temperature may vary depending on the characteristics of the nonvolatile memory device 122 included in the storage device 120 and the operation method of the storage controller 121. That is, the data retention parameter DRP may be variable.

[0045] The battery system 130 may include a battery control device 131 and a battery 132. The battery system 130 may also be referred to as an "energy storage system (ESS)".

[0046] The battery control device 131 may monitor the state of the battery 132, and may control the battery 132. The battery control device 131 may perform thermal control on a plurality of battery modules included in the battery 132. In addition, the battery control device 131 may prevent overcharging and over-discharging of the battery 132, and may perform battery balancing so that the charge states of the plurality of battery modules included in the battery 132 are uniformly controlled. In response to a control signal from the electronic device 110, the battery control device 131 may control the battery 132 so that power can be supplied to various devices of the autonomous vehicle. The battery control device 131 may also be referred to as a "battery management system (BMS)".

[0047] The battery 132 may be capable of supplying power to various devices of an autonomous vehicle in which the battery system 130 is installed, and may include a plurality of battery modules. Each of the plurality of battery modules may include a plurality of batteries. The plurality of battery modules may be connected in series and in parallel. The plurality of battery modules may be implemented with secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries. In addition, the plurality of battery modules may have the same capacity or may have different capacities.

[0048] The electronic device 110 may be implemented with a telematics control unit installed in an autonomous vehicle.

[0049] In a state where the autonomous vehicle is parked, when power is continuously or very frequently supplied to ensure the reliability of the data stored in the storage device 120, the power consumption of the storage device 120 increases, and thus, the energy of the battery 132 is unnecessarily consumed. Meanwhile, in a state where the autonomous vehicle is parked, when power is not supplied for a long time relative to the data retention capability of the storage device 120, the data stored in the storage device 120 may be lost, and thus, the reliability of the data may be reduced.

[0050] In some embodiments, the electronic device 110 installed in the autonomous vehicle estimates the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 in the power-off state based on the received external temperature OTEMP, and determines the data management period DMP based on the estimated temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120. Therefore, the storage device 120 can perform the data management operation at an appropriate time point, the reliability of the data stored in the storage device 120 can be guaranteed, and the power consumption of the storage device 120 can be minimized.

[0051] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of an example electronic device. Figure 2 , an electronic device 110 installed in an autonomous vehicle includes a communication interface 111 , a processor 112 , a memory 113 , and a data retention manager 114 .

[0052] The communication interface 111 provides an interface that allows the electronic device 110 to send / receive various types of data to / from the outside. For example, the communication interface 111 can communicate with a cloud server or a data center via vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, and can receive weather information including external temperature or a defense code sequence for data recovery. In addition to the weather information at a specific time point when the weather information is received, the weather information received through the communication interface 111 may also include weather information associated with a time period after the specific time point and a time period before the specific time point. The weather information associated with the time period before the specific time point when the weather information is received may correspond to weather information that has been measured, and the weather information associated with the time period after the specific time point when the weather information is received may correspond to a weather forecast. The weather information received through the communication interface 111 may also include various data associated with the weather, such as external temperature, weather type, humidity, rainfall, or probability of rainfall.

[0053] The communication interface 111 may include a communication module for supporting communication technologies such as fifth generation (5G) communication, long term evolution (LTE), and third generation (3G) communication.

[0054] The communication interface 111 can receive a navigation signal for calculating the position of the autonomous vehicle from at least one module for receiving satellite navigation signals of GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), Galileo GNSS, BDS (Beidou Navigation Satellite System), IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), etc.

[0055] The processor 112 may control various operations of the electronic device 110. The processor 112 may execute one or more instructions stored in the memory 113. The processor 112 may be implemented with hardware components that perform arithmetic, logic, input / output operations, and signal processing. The processor 112 may be implemented, for example, by at least one of a central processing unit, a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a digital signal processing device (DSPD), a programmable logic device (PLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA), but is not limited thereto.

[0056] The memory 113 may include, for example, a nonvolatile memory including at least one of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and a programmable read-only memory (PROM), as well as a volatile memory device such as a random access memory (RAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM).

[0057] Instructions, data structures, and program codes readable by processor 112 may be stored in memory 113 .

[0058] Weather information WI received through communication interface 111, temperature offset TOS for estimating the temperature of storage device 120, estimated temperature SDTEMP of storage device 120, data management period DMP, data retention parameter DRP received from storage device 120, exposure schedule and proportional factor table can be stored in memory 113.

[0059] The data retention manager 114 may estimate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 based on the external temperature OTEMP and a preset temperature offset TOS, and may determine a data management period DMP of the storage device 120 in a shutdown state based on the estimated temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 and a data retention parameter DRP.

[0060] When the data management period DMP is reached, the data retention manager 114 may output a battery control signal BCS for supplying power to the storage device 120 to the battery control device 131 , and may output a data retention management signal RMS to the storage device 120 .

[0061] Data retention manager 114 may include temperature monitoring circuit 114a, period determination circuit 114b, and temperature excursion monitoring circuit 114c.

[0062] The temperature monitoring circuit 114a may monitor the external temperature OTEMP received through the communication interface 111, and may estimate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 based on the external temperature OTEMP and the preset temperature offset TOS. The temperature monitoring circuit 114a may estimate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 by adding the external temperature OTEMP and the preset temperature offset TOS.

[0063] The period determination circuit 114b may estimate the data management period DMP based on the estimated temperature SDTEMP and the data retention parameter DRP of the storage device 120. The period determination circuit 114b may estimate the data management period DMP by applying the estimated temperature SDTEMP and the data retention parameter DRP of the storage device 120 to the Arrhenius equation. The period determination circuit 114b may also estimate the data management period DMP based on the exposure schedule and the scale factor table.

[0064] The temperature offset monitoring circuit 114 c may calculate a new temperature offset TOS based on the external temperature OTEMP received during autonomous vehicle driving and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 received from the storage device 120 , and may change the existing temperature offset TOS to the new temperature offset TOS.

[0065] The temperature offset monitoring circuit 114c may calculate the temperature offset TOS in consideration of the environmental conditions of the autonomous vehicle, such as the weather type WT, humidity, and time, and the external temperature OTEMP included in the weather information WI. The temperature offset monitoring circuit 114c may newly store the calculated temperature offset TOS, and may update the existing temperature offset TOS. The temperature monitoring circuit 114a may estimate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 by using the newly stored temperature offset TOS or the updated temperature offset TOS.

[0066] Data retention manager 114 may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. When data retention manager 114 is implemented in software, information about data retention manager 114 may be stored in memory 113 , and data retention manager 114 stored in memory 113 may be executed by processor 112 .

[0067] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of an example storage device. Figure 3 The storage controller 121 includes a storage processor 121a, a random access memory (RAM) 121b, an error correction code (ECC) circuit 121c, a flash translation layer manager 121d, a host interface circuit 121e, and a non-volatile memory interface circuit 121f.

[0068] The storage processor 121a included in the storage controller 121 may control the operation of the storage controller 121 in response to a command received from a host (eg, electronic device) through the host interface circuit 121e. For example, the storage processor 121a may control each component by using firmware for driving the storage device 120.

[0069] The RAM 121b included in the storage controller 121 may store instructions executable by the storage processor 121a and data processed by or to be processed by the storage processor 121a. For example, the RAM 121b may be implemented with a volatile memory device having a relatively small capacity and supporting fast speed, such as a static random access memory (SRAM) or a cache memory.

[0070] The ECC circuit 121c included in the storage controller 121 can perform ECC encoding and ECC decoding by using BCH (Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem) code, LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) code, turbo code, Reed-Solomon code, convolutional code, RSC (Recursive System Code), coded modulation (such as TCM (Trellis Coded Modulation) or BCM (Block Coded Modulation)), or any other error correction code.

[0071] The flash translation layer manager 121d included in the storage controller 121 may perform an address mapping operation. The address mapping operation refers to an operation of converting a logical address received from a host into a physical address for actually storing data in the nonvolatile memory device 122. The flash translation layer manager 121d may perform a wear leveling operation for preventing excessive degradation of the memory blocks BLK_1, BLK_2, ..., BLK_n, a garbage collection operation for ensuring available capacity in the nonvolatile memory device 122, and the like.

[0072] The host interface circuit 121e included in the storage controller 121 can provide a physical connection between the host and the storage device 120. That is, the host interface circuit 121e can provide an interface with the storage device 120 according to the bus format of the host. In some embodiments, the bus format of the host is SCSI or SAS. In some embodiments, the bus format of the host is a universal serial bus (USB), peripheral component express interconnect (PCIe), ATA, PATA, SATA, NVMe, and other formats.

[0073] The nonvolatile memory interface circuit 121f included in the memory controller 121 may exchange data with the nonvolatile memory device 122. The nonvolatile memory interface circuit 121f may transmit data to the nonvolatile memory device 122, and may receive data read from the nonvolatile memory device 122.

[0074] The nonvolatile memory device 122 may include a plurality of memory blocks BLK_1 , BLK_2 , . . . , BLK_n and a control logic 122 a .

[0075] Each of the plurality of memory blocks BLK_1, BLK_2, ..., BLK_n may include a plurality of pages, the pages include a plurality of memory cells MC, and each of the plurality of memory cells MC may store at least one bit depending on the charge stored in the charge storage layer CL. The charge storage layer CL may be a conductive floating gate of a floating gate structure or a trapping layer of a charge trap flash (CTF) structure. The memory cells MC may be programmed in various schemes, such as a single level cell (SLC) scheme, a multi-level cell (MCL) scheme, a triple level cell (TLC) scheme, and a quad level cell (QLC) scheme.

[0076] The control logic 122 a may be implemented to receive a command and an address from the memory controller 121 , and perform an operation (eg, a program operation, a read operation, or an erase operation) corresponding to the received command with respect to the memory cells MC corresponding to the received address.

[0077] The storage device 120 may further include a temperature sensor 123. The temperature sensor 123 senses the temperature of the nonvolatile memory device 122 so as to transmit it to the storage controller 121. The temperature of the nonvolatile memory device 122 may correspond to the temperature of the storage device 120. The storage controller 121 may transmit data about the sensed temperature to the electronic device 110 through the temperature sensor 123. The temperature sensor 123 may be implemented in the nonvolatile memory device 122 in the form of an on-chip sensor, or may be provided outside the nonvolatile memory device 122. The temperature data collected by the temperature sensor 123 may be used to determine a temperature offset.

[0078] The storage controller 121 may receive a data retention management signal from the electronic device 110. In response to the data retention management signal, the storage controller 121 may allow the nonvolatile memory device 122 to perform a data management operation. When the storage device 120 performs the data management operation, the storage device 120 may control the nonvolatile memory device 122 to perform a scan operation of reading all data stored in the nonvolatile memory device 122, a recycling operation of moving valid data of a source memory block to a target memory block, and an operation for ensuring data reliability, such as a refresh operation of charging charges leaked from the charge storage layer CL.

[0079] When the level of a bit error caused when the storage device 120 performs a data management operation is higher than the error correction capability of the ECC circuit 121c, the bit error may be uncorrectable; in this case, an error called uncorrectable ECC (UECC) may occur.

[0080] Defense code may mean a software recovery algorithm. Defense code may be implemented by firmware in the solution. Defense code may correspond to various recovery algorithms for recovering data, including operations to determine optimized read levels. When UECC occurs, the storage device 120 enters a defense code. When the storage device 120 performs one or more defense code operations according to a set sequence, the storage device 120 may reduce errors or may allow the ECC circuit 121c to correct errors. Defense codes may be classified as a fast recovery method at the expense of accuracy or a method that performs recovery as accurately as possible through many operations. A defense code sequence may refer to the order in which multiple defense codes are executed. When the storage device 120 successfully corrects errors while performing defense code operations based on the defense code sequence, the storage device 120 may end the recovery operation without executing the remaining defense codes.

[0081] Figure 4 is an exemplary diagram for describing a change in the threshold voltage of a memory cell caused in a memory device placed alone in a turned-off state for a long time.

[0082] refer to Figure 4 , the threshold voltage distribution of the memory cells included in the memory device 120 in the off state changes in a decreasing direction over time.

[0083] Assume that the memory cells are programmed in a TLC scheme. Depending on the programming level, the threshold voltage distributions of the memory cells are classified into P1 to P7.

[0084] The charge stored in the charge storage layer of each memory cell may leak out depending on the temperature and time to which the memory device 120 is exposed. In this case, the threshold voltage distributions P1 to P7 of the memory cells may be changed to threshold voltage distributions P1' to P7'. When the threshold voltage of the memory cell is lower than the preset read voltage Vread, data errors may be caused.

[0085] In some embodiments, the threshold voltage distribution P7 corresponds to 3-bit data of "110", and the threshold voltage distribution P6 corresponds to 3-bit data of "010". That is, in the case of the threshold voltage distribution P7, the most significant bit is "1", the center bit is "1", and the least significant bit is "0". In the case of the threshold voltage distribution P6, the most significant bit is "0", the center bit is "1", and the least significant bit is "0".

[0086] In a memory cell programmed to have a threshold voltage greater than the read voltage Vread in a programming operation, the threshold voltage of the memory cell may be lower than the read voltage Vread due to leakage of charge stored in the charge storage layer of the memory cell. In this case, the most significant bit may change from "1" to "0". When the level of the bit error is a correctable level, the ECC circuit 121c of the storage device 120 may correct the bit error. However, when the level of the bit error exceeds the correctable level of the ECC circuit 121c due to the accumulation of the threshold voltage variation, data loss may occur in the storage device 120.

[0087] The electronic device 110 may determine a time point to perform the data management operation based on the external temperature, and may control the battery system 130 to supply power to the storage device 120 .

[0088] The electronic device 110 may transmit a data management signal to the storage device 120 to which power is supplied, and may allow the storage device 120 to perform a data management operation so that the reliability of the data stored in the storage device 120 is guaranteed. Therefore, even if the autonomous vehicle is parked for a long time, the loss / damage of the data stored in the storage device 120 may be prevented.

[0089] Figure 5 is an example flow chart for describing the operation of an electronic system.

[0090] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 5 , the electronic device 110 included in the electronic system 100 receives information about the external temperature (S100). The electronic device 110 receives weather information WI including the external temperature OTEMP from the cloud server or the data center through the communication interface 111. In addition to the external temperature OTEMP, the weather information WI also includes data associated with various weathers.

[0091] The electronic device 110 included in the electronic system 100 may receive a data retention parameter from the storage device 120 (S110). The data retention parameter refers to a preset value indicating the data retention capability of the storage device 120. The data retention parameter as a parameter associated with the data retention capability may include a data retention time according to a reference temperature and an acceleration constant.

[0092] The battery system 130 included in the electronic system 100 may block the power supply of the storage device 120 (S120). When the autonomous vehicle is parked, the storage device 120 may be powered off.

[0093] The electronic device 110 included in the electronic system 100 may estimate the temperature of the storage device 120 (S130). The temperature of the storage device 120 may be estimated based on the external temperature and a preset temperature offset. The electronic device 110 may estimate the temperature of the storage device 120 periodically (e.g., 1 hour / 6 hours / 24 hours).

[0094] The electronic device 110 included in the electronic system 100 may determine a data management period (S140). The data management period may be determined based on the estimated temperature and data management parameters of the storage device 120. The data management period may be further determined based on an exposure schedule or a scale factor table.

[0095] The battery system 130 included in the electronic system 100 may supply power to the storage device 120 in response to the battery control signal ( S150 ).

[0096] The memory device 120 included in the electronic system 100 may perform a data management operation in response to the data retention management signal (S160). The data management operation may include at least one of a scan operation, a refresh operation, and a reclaim operation.

[0097] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B is a diagram for describing an example of an operation in which an electronic device estimates a temperature of a storage device.

[0098] refer to Fig. 6A , the electronic device 110 calculates the temperature offset TOS based on the difference between the external temperature OTEMP and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120.

[0099] The temperature offset TOS may be updated by the temperature offset monitoring circuit 114 c during driving of the autonomous vehicle. The temperature offset monitoring circuit 114 c may receive the external temperature OTEMP through the communication interface 111 , and may receive the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 from the storage controller 121 through the temperature sensor 123 .

[0100] The temperature offset monitoring circuit 114c may calculate a temperature offset TOS based on a difference between the external temperature OTEMP and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120. The temperature offset monitoring circuit 114c may store the calculated temperature offset TOS in the memory 113. When the temperature offset TOS already exists in the memory 113, the existing temperature offset TOS may be changed to a new temperature offset TOS.

[0101] refer to Figure 6BWhen the autonomous vehicle is parked, the temperature monitoring circuit 114a estimates the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 based on the external temperature OTEMP received through the communication interface 111 and the temperature offset TOS stored in the memory 113. When the autonomous vehicle is parked, the temperature monitoring circuit 114a may estimate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 based on a result of adding the received external temperature OTEMP and the preset temperature offset TOS stored in the memory 113.

[0102] Figure 7 is a diagram for describing another example of an operation in which an electronic device estimates a temperature of a storage device.

[0103] refer to Figure 7 , the electronic device 110 estimates the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 based on the external temperature OTEMP and the weather type WT.

[0104] The electronic device 110 receives weather information WI including the outside temperature OTEMP and the weather type WT, and calculates a temperature offset for each weather type WT.

[0105] For example, it is assumed that the first weather type WT1 is included in the weather information WI1 received from the outside. In this case, the electronic device 110 can calculate the temperature offset TOS_WT1 based on the difference between the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 and the external temperature OTEMP1 in the environment of the first weather type WT1 received from the outside. Similarly, the electronic device 110 can calculate the temperature offset TOS_WT2 corresponding to the environment of the second weather type WT2. The temperature offset TOS_WT1 corresponding to the first weather type WT1 and the temperature offset TOS_WT2 corresponding to the second weather type WT2 can be updated to be changed to the calculated values, respectively. The temperature offsets TOS_WT1 and TOS_WT2 can be updated depending on the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 and the weather information WI1 and WI2 received during vehicle driving.

[0106] The electronic device 110 may receive the weather information WI3 to estimate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120. In this case, since the second weather type WT2 is included in the weather information WI3, the electronic device 110 may calculate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 by using the temperature offset TOS_WT2 updated in the environment of the second weather type WT2.

[0107] Meanwhile, in addition to the outside temperature OTEMP and the weather type WT, the weather information WI may include various information such as humidity, rainfall, and snowfall, and the temperature offset TOS may be updated based on the various data included in the weather information WI. In addition, the electronic device 110 may select the temperature offset TOS based on the various data included in the weather information, which is used to estimate the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120.

[0108] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of data retention time according to the temperature of a storage device. Figure 8 , the data retention time of the memory device 120 decreases / increases along the temperature to which the memory device 120 is exposed.

[0109] The data retention time may refer to the time necessary for the memory device 120 to stably retain data, and may be defined as the time taken until the data stored in the memory device 120 in the off state reaches a reference bit error rate. As the temperature of the memory device 120 increases, the probability of leakage of charges stored in the charge storage layer of the memory cell may increase.

[0110] The reference temperature and the data retention time according to the reference temperature (which has a value set to ensure data reliability) can be determined depending on the characteristics and purpose of the storage device 120. Not only at the reference temperature, but also under any other conditions, the data retention time can have a value determined based on the Arrhenius equation that defines the correlation between the reaction speed and the temperature and the activation energy. According to the Arrhenius equation, as the absolute temperature increases and the activation energy decreases, the reaction speed increases. In other words, the reaction amount increases during the same time period. The reaction amount derived by using the Arrhenius equation can correspond to the charge leakage amount stored in the charge storage layer of the memory cell included in the non-volatile memory device 122, or the bit error rate caused by the charge leakage.

[0111] In some embodiments, the reference temperature of the storage device 120 may be 30° C., and its data retention time may be 8760 hours. That is, in an environment where the temperature of the storage device 120 is 30° C., the storage device 120 in the closed state can ensure data reliability for 8760 hours.

[0112] Meanwhile, in an environment where the temperature of the storage device 120 is 85° C., the storage device 120 can ensure data reliability for approximately 59 hours. In an environment where the temperature of the storage device 120 is 100° C., the storage device 120 can ensure data reliability for approximately 20 hours.

[0113] That is, the reaction amount of 8760 hours in a 30°C environment, the reaction amount of 59 hours in an 85°C environment, and the reaction amount of 20 hours in a 100°C environment can be considered the same. To ensure data reliability, the storage device 120 should perform data management operations before the data retention time elapses.

[0114] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example exposure schedule. Fig. 9 , the electronic device 110 determines the data management period based on the exposure time table ETT defined by the temperature TEMP and the data retention parameter DRP.

[0115] As described above, the data retention parameter DRP is determined depending on the characteristics and purpose of the storage device 120. In an environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP1 and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP1, the data management period of the storage device 120 can be determined as the exposure time ET11. The exposure time ET11 can be a value determined depending on the data retention time. In some embodiments, the exposure time ET11 can be a time corresponding to a given ratio (e.g., 80%) of the data retention time. As the given ratio increases, the data management period may increase, and the reliability of the data may decrease. As the given ratio decreases, the data management period may decrease, and the reliability of the data may increase. In order to enhance the reliability of the data, the ratio of the data retention time to the exposure time can be set to a small value; in order to make the power consumption of the storage device 120 better, the ratio of the data retention time to the exposure time can be set to a large value.

[0116] Since the electronic device 110 determines the data management period by using the exposure time table ETT without directly calculating the Arrhenius equation, the electronic device 110 can determine an appropriate data management period based on the data retention parameter DRP and the exposure temperature.

[0117] Fig.10 It shows that according to Fig. 9 Schematic representation of an example reaction volume for an exposure schedule.

[0118] refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10 , the exposure times ET1 to ET45 of the exposure schedule ETT correspond to the same reaction volume.

[0119] As described above, the reaction amount may correspond to the amount of charge leakage stored in the charge storage layer of the memory cell included in the nonvolatile memory device 122, or a bit error rate caused by the charge leakage. The reaction amount may be considered as a parameter for determining a data management cycle to ensure the reliability of data stored in the memory device 120.

[0120] In some embodiments, in the storage device 120 where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP1, when the reference temperature REF_SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP1 and the reference time REF_T is ET11, the reaction amount is the reference reaction amount REF_RA. The reference reaction amount REF_RA may be a threshold for determining a data management cycle. In this case, in an environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP1 and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP1, the exposure time ET11 may be determined as the data management cycle.

[0121] In an environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP1 and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP3, when TEMP3 corresponding to the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is higher than TEMP1 as the reference temperature REF_SDTEMP, the reaction speed corresponding to the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is higher than the reaction speed at the reference temperature REF_SDTEMP. Therefore, the exposure time ET13 is less than the exposure time ET11. In this case, in an environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP1 and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP3, the reaction amount RA1 during the exposure time ET13 is equal to the reference reaction amount REF_RA. In an environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP1 and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP3, the electronic device 110 can determine the exposure time ET13 as the data management period.

[0122] In an environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP4 and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP1, the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is equal to the reference temperature REF_SDTEMP, but the data retention parameter DRP is different, DPR1 and DPR4. The reaction speed in the environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP4 and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP1 is higher than the reaction speed in the environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP1. Therefore, the exposure time ET41 is less than the exposure time ET11. In an environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP4 and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP1, the reaction amount RA2 during the exposure time ET41 is equal to the reference reaction amount REF_RA. In an environment where the data retention parameter DRP is DRP4 and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP1, the electronic device 110 can determine the exposure time ET41 as the data management period.

[0123] When the data management period has passed since the time when the storage device 120 is powered off, the electronic device 110 may send a battery control signal to the battery control device 131 so that power is supplied to the storage device 120. Then, the electronic device 110 may send a data retention management signal to the storage device 120.

[0124] The storage device 120 may perform a data management operation in response to the data retention management signal. As described above, since the storage device 120 performs a data management operation depending on a data management cycle optimized in different environments, the storage device 120 may ensure data reliability and optimize power consumption.

[0125] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram for describing an example of an operation in which an electronic device estimates a temperature of a storage device for each of a plurality of time periods. Figure 6B and Fig.11 The electronic device 110 estimates the temperatures SDTEMP1, SDTEMP2, ..., SDTEMP6 of the storage device 120 in the multiple time periods T1, T2, ..., T6 based on the external temperatures OTEMP1, OTEMP2, ..., OTEMP6 in the multiple time periods T1, T2, ..., T6. For each of the multiple time periods T1 to T6, the electronic device 110 determines the data management period of the storage device 120 based on the temperature of the storage device 120 and the data retention parameter.

[0126] When receiving the external temperature OTEMP, in addition to the external temperature OTEMP associated with the time period including the specific time point, the electronic device 110 may also receive the external temperature OTEMP associated with the time period after the specific time point and the external temperature OTEMP associated with the time period before the specific time point. The external temperature OTEMP associated with the time period before the specific time point may be the previously measured external temperature OTEMP, and the external temperature OTEMP associated with the time period after the specific time point may be the external temperature OTEMP corresponding to the weather forecast.

[0127] The electronic device 110 may estimate the temperatures SDTEMP1 to SDTEMP6 of the storage device 120 in the plurality of time periods T1 to T6 based on the external temperatures OTEMP1 to OTEMP6 and the temperature offset TOS in the plurality of time periods T1 to T6. In this case, a plurality of temperature offsets TOS1, TOS2, ..., TOS6 may be used.

[0128] In some embodiments, each of the temperature offsets TOS1 to TOS6 may be a value set depending on the external temperature OTEMP. The external temperature OTEMP1 may correspond to the temperature offset TOS1, and the temperature SDTEMP1 of the storage device 120 may be estimated based on the result of adding the external temperature OTEMP1 and the temperature offset TOS1. The external temperature OTEMP2 may correspond to the temperature offset TOS2, and the temperature SDTEMP2 of the storage device 120 may be estimated based on the result of adding the external temperature OTEMP2 and the temperature offset TOS2.

[0129] In another example, each of the temperature offsets TOS1 to TOS6 may be a value set depending on a time period. The time period T3 may correspond to the temperature offset TOS3, and the temperature SDTEMP3 of the storage device 120 may be estimated based on the result of adding the external temperature OTEMP3 and the temperature offset TOS3. The time period T4 may correspond to the temperature offset TOS4, and the temperature SDTEMP4 of the storage device 120 may be estimated based on the result of adding the external temperature OTEMP4 and the temperature offset TOS4.

[0130] In another example, each of the temperature offsets TOS1 to TOS6 may be a value set depending on any other data included in the weather information. For example, the temperature offset TOS5 may correspond to "sunny" as one of the weather types, and the temperature SDTEMP5 of the storage device 120 may be estimated based on the result of adding the external temperature OTEMP5 and the temperature offset TOS5. As another example, the temperature offset TOS6 may correspond to "cloudy" as one of the weather types, and the temperature SDTEMP6 of the storage device 120 may be estimated based on the result of adding the external temperature OTEMP6 and the temperature offset TOS6.

[0131] The above description about the temperature offsets TOS1 to TOS6 is given as an example, and the temperature offsets TOS1 to TOS6 may be set and applied to various schemes for accurately estimating the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 through the external temperature OTEMP.

[0132] Fig.12 is a diagram showing an example scale factor table. Fig.12 , the electronic device 110 further determines the data management period based on a scale factor table SFT, which is defined based on the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 and the acceleration constant AC.

[0133] Each of the proportionality factors SF11 to SF46 is a value indicating a relative ratio of each time reaction amount according to the temperature SDTEMP and the acceleration constant AC of the storage device 120. The proportionality factors SF11 to SF46 may be defined based on the Arrhenius equation.

[0134] The amount of reaction during the same time period may vary depending on the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 and the acceleration constant AC. According to the Arrhenius equation, as the reaction temperature increases, the reaction rate may increase. This may mean that the amount of reaction during the same time period increases.

[0135] In the case of acceleration constant AC1, the reaction amount when the temperature SDTEMP of storage device 120 is TEMP1 is smaller than the reaction amount when the temperature SDTEMP of storage device 120 is TEMP4 during the same time. Therefore, proportionality factor SF11 indicating the relative ratio of the reaction amount at each time is smaller than proportionality factor SF14.

[0136] Meanwhile, the proportional factors SF11 to SF46 may vary depending on the acceleration constant AC. The acceleration constant AC corresponds to the activation energy of the Arrhenius equation, and as the acceleration energy decreases, the reaction speed increases. Therefore, in the case where the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is TEMP1, when the acceleration constant AC2 is greater than the acceleration constant AC1, the reaction speed at the acceleration constant AC2 may be lower than the reaction speed at the acceleration constant AC1, and therefore, the value of the proportional factor SF12 may be smaller than the proportional factor SF11.

[0137] The scale factor table SFT may include scale factors SF11 to SF46, each of which is determined based on the acceleration constant AC and the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120, and the electronic device 110 may easily derive the total reaction amount by using the scale factors SF11, SF12, ..., SF46 included in the scale factor table SFT. The electronic device 110 may calculate the reaction amount of each of a plurality of time periods, and may determine the time taken to reach a threshold value of the total reaction amount, i.e., a data management cycle.

[0138] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram for describing an example of an operation in which an electronic device determines a data management period based on a temperature of a storage device in each of a plurality of time periods. Fig.13 , the electronic device 110 determines the data management period based on the threshold voltage of the reaction amount.

[0139] Assume that when the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 is the reference temperature REF_SDTEMP and the acceleration constant is the reference acceleration constant REF_AC, the data management operation of the storage device 120 is required at the reference exposure time REF_ET. That is, the reference exposure time REF_ET may be a time corresponding to a given ratio of the data retention time. In this case, the reaction amount may be referred to as a "reference reaction amount REF_RA".

[0140] That is, in the memory device 120 in the off state, when the charges of the memory cells leak out as much as the reference reaction amount REF_RA or reach the bit error rate, the memory device 120 needs to perform the data management operation.

[0141] The electronic device 110 may calculate the total reaction amounts in the plurality of time periods T1 to T6 according to the storage temperatures SDTEMP1 to SDTEMP6 in the plurality of time periods T1 to T6.

[0142] The storage device 120 may have an acceleration constant AC1, and in an environment where the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 estimated during the time period T1 is TEMP1, the reaction amount is SRA1. In an environment where the temperature SDTEMP of the storage device 120 estimated during the time period T2 is TEMP5, the reaction amount is SRA2. That is, the reaction amount in the time periods T1 and T2 corresponds to the sum of SRA1 and SRA2.

[0143] The reaction amount in the time period T1 to T4 corresponds to the sum of SRA1 to SRA4. In this case, the sum of SRA1 to SRA4 is smaller than the reference reaction amount REF_RA.

[0144] Meanwhile, the reaction amount in the time period T1 to T5 is the sum of SRA1 to SRA5. In this case, the sum of SRA1 to SRA5 is greater than the reference reaction amount REF_RA. Therefore, the total reaction amount until the time period T4 passes is less than the reference reaction amount REF_RA, and the total reaction amount until the time period T5 passes is greater than the reference reaction amount REF_RA. The electronic device 110 may determine the data management period DMP after the time period T4 passes and before the time period T5 passes.

[0145] The reaction volume SRA1 can be based on the reference Fig.14The reaction amount SRA1 may be calculated based on the proportionality factor SF11 corresponding to the acceleration constant AC1 and the temperature TEMP1. The reaction amount SRA2 may be calculated based on the proportionality factor SF15 corresponding to the acceleration constant AC1 and the temperature TEMP5.

[0146] The electronic device may control the battery system to supply power to the storage device 120 after the data management period DMP has passed since the time when the storage device was powered off, and may send a data retention management signal to the storage device 120 so that the storage device 120 performs a data management operation. The electronic device 110 may retain the data stored in the storage device 120. Therefore, the reliability of the data stored in the storage device 120 may be guaranteed.

[0147] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram for describing an example of a data management operation performed by a storage device. Fig.14 , the storage device 120 performs a scanning operation when performing a data management operation.

[0148] Data DAT11, data DAT12, data DAT13, data DAT14, and data DAT15 may be stored in a memory block BLK_1 of the nonvolatile memory device 122. The memory controller 121 may read data DAT11 to data DAT15 stored in the memory block BLK_1. After reading the data stored in the memory block BLK_1, the memory controller 121 may read data DAT21 to data DAT25 stored in the memory block BLK_2. The memory controller 121 may read all data of the nonvolatile memory device 122, that is, all data stored in the memory blocks BLK_1 to BLK_n.

[0149] The storage controller 121 may check errors present in the read / stored data through the ECC circuit 121 c when performing a scan operation. UECC may occur when a bit error including read data read from the nonvolatile memory device 122 cannot be corrected by the ECC circuit 121 c (or when the level of the bit error exceeds the error correction capability of the ECC circuit 121 c).

[0150] The storage controller 121 can check the reliability of the data stored in the non-volatile memory device 122 through a scanning operation that reads all the data stored in the non-volatile memory device 122. That is, the storage controller 121 can check the error level of the non-volatile memory device 122 through a scanning operation. The storage controller 121 can take subsequent actions based on the error level checked through the scanning operation. For example, when the error can be corrected by the ECC circuit 121c, a refresh or recycling operation can be performed. When UECC occurs in the data stored in the non-volatile memory device 122, the storage controller 121 can perform a data recovery operation for recovering the UECC.

[0151] Meanwhile, the scanning operation performed by the memory controller 121 may be referred to as a “patrol read operation”.

[0152] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram for describing another example of a data management operation performed by a storage device. Fig.15 , the storage device 120 performs a recycling operation when performing a data management operation.

[0153] The reclaim operation is accompanied by an operation of writing data stored in a memory block of the nonvolatile memory device 122 to any other memory block of the nonvolatile memory device 122 .

[0154] Referring to the memory block BLK_2 and the memory block BLK_k among the plurality of memory blocks BLK_1 to BLK_n included in the nonvolatile memory device 122, data may be written in the entire space of the memory block BLK_2, and the memory block BLK_k may be a free memory block in a state where the entire space of the memory block BLK_k is empty (or erased). The data DAT21, the data DAT22, and the data DAT24' stored in the memory block BLK_2 are valid data "V", and the data DAT23 and the data DAT25 are invalid data "I". The data DAT24' is data in which a bit error occurs, and the level of the bit error is within the error correction capability of the ECC circuit 121c.

[0155] When performing a read operation on data stored in the memory block BLK_2, the memory controller 121 may correct an error occurring in the data DAT24' through the ECC circuit 121c. In this case, the ECC circuit 121c may generate data DATA24, which is corrected data obtained by correcting the error of the data DAT24'.

[0156] The memory controller 121 may write data DAT21, data DAT22, and corrected data DAT24 in the space of the memory block BLK_k. The memory controller 121 may mark the data DAT21, data DAT22, and data DAT24' existing in the memory block BLK_2 as invalid data "1".

[0157] In this case, data DAT21 to data DAT25 existing in the memory block BLK_2 correspond to invalid data “1”, and data DAT21, data DAT22, and data DAT24 existing in the memory block BLK_k correspond to error-corrected data as valid data.

[0158] The flash translation layer manager 121d of the storage controller 121 may update the mapping of the physical address and the logical address. That is, the logical addresses of the data DAT21, DAT22, and DAT24 may be mapped to the physical addresses corresponding to the memory block BLK_k.

[0159] All data present in the memory block BLK_2 may be invalid, and the memory block BLK_2 may be in a state where the entire space of the memory block BLK_2 is full. Thereafter, the memory block BLK_2 may be returned to a free memory block through an erase operation.

[0160] Through the recycling operation, the storage device 120 can correct the correctable errors of the data by using the ECC circuit 121c, and can write the corrected data into a new memory block, and thus, it is possible to prevent the bit errors from accumulating in the storage device 120. In other words, it is possible to prevent the UECC from occurring due to the accumulated bit errors. Therefore, the reliability of the data stored in the storage device 120 can be guaranteed.

[0161] Meanwhile, the reclamation operation performed by the storage device 120 may also be referred to as a “remapping-based refresh operation”.

[0162] Fig.16 is a schematic diagram for describing another example of a data management operation performed by a storage device. Fig.16 , the storage device 120 performs a refresh operation when performing a data management operation.

[0163] As described above, the main reason for the occurrence of data retention errors in the memory device 120 in the off state is the leakage of charges stored in the charge storage layer of the memory cell. Therefore, due to the leakage, the threshold voltage of the programmed memory cell may move in a decreasing direction.

[0164] Meanwhile, stored data may be erased in memory block units, and in-place overwrite operations are not allowed due to the characteristics of the nonvolatile memory device 122, where data can be written only in the space of the erased state. However, the program voltage pulse VPP may be applied in memory cell units.

[0165] The storage controller 121 may read the data stored in the nonvolatile memory device 122 to check the reliability of the data. The ECC circuit 121c of the storage controller 121 may check whether a bit error occurs in the data read from the nonvolatile memory device 122, and may correct the bit error within the error correction capability of the ECC circuit 121c. The storage controller 121 may send the data corrected by the ECC circuit 121c to the nonvolatile memory device 122.

[0166] The control logic 122a of the nonvolatile memory device 122 may verify the threshold voltage of the memory cell (①) where the bit error occurs. That is, the control logic 122a may check whether the threshold voltage of the memory cell is lower than the read voltage Vread. In order to check whether the threshold voltage of the memory cell is lower than the read voltage Vread, the control logic 122a may use the corrected data received from the memory controller 121.

[0167] The control logic 122a of the nonvolatile memory device 122 may apply a programming voltage pulse VPP to the memory cell where a bit error occurs (②). Charges leaked from the charge storage layer of the memory cell may be charged in the charge storage layer by the programming voltage pulse VPP applied to the memory cell where a bit error occurs. Therefore, the threshold voltage of the memory cell may be increased from a voltage Vth1 lower than the read voltage Vread to a voltage Vth2 higher than the read voltage Vread.

[0168] In the case of verifying the threshold voltage of the memory cell where the bit error occurs, when it is determined that the threshold voltage is higher than the read voltage Vread, the control logic 122a of the nonvolatile memory device 122 may stop the refresh operation and may not apply the program voltage pulse VPP. When the refresh operation is restricted, the bit error may be resolved by the above refresh operation.

[0169] Through the refresh operation, the memory device 120 can correct the correctable error through the ECC circuit 121c, and the programming voltage pulse VPP can be applied to compensate for the reduced threshold voltage, and thus, the memory device 120 can charge the leakage charge in the charge storage layer, and the threshold voltage can be increased. According to the above description, the bit error can be prevented from accumulating in the memory device 120. In other words, the UECC caused by the accumulated bit error can be prevented. Therefore, the reliability of the data stored in the memory device 120 can be guaranteed.

[0170] The refresh operation performed by the memory device 120 may also be referred to as an “in-place refresh operation”.

[0171] Fig.17 is a flowchart for describing an example of a data recovery operation performed by a storage device. Fig.17 , the storage device 120 checks for damaged data while performing data management operations (S210). The damaged data refers to data in which UECC occurs because the bit error level exceeds the error correction capability of the ECC circuit 121c. The storage device 120 sends an error signal to the electronic device 110 in response to the damaged data.

[0172] The electronic device 110 receives an error signal from the storage device 120 ( S220 ).

[0173] The electronic device 110 sends environmental information to the cloud server in response to the error signal from the storage device 120 (S230). The environmental information may include information about the exposure temperature and exposure time of the storage device 120. The cloud server may retrieve a defense code sequence corresponding to the environmental information received from the electronic device 110. The defense code sequence corresponding to the environmental information may be an optimized defense code sequence, which involves an execution order of defense codes that successfully recover data in an environment similar to the environmental information received from the electronic device 110. The cloud server may send the defense code sequence to the electronic device 110.

[0174] The electronic device 110 receives a defense code sequence corresponding to the environmental information from the cloud server ( S240 ).

[0175] The electronic device 110 sends the defense code sequence to the storage device 120 (S250).

[0176] The storage device 120 performs a data recovery operation on the damaged data depending on the received defense code sequence (S260). Because the preset defense code sequence of the storage device 120 cannot accurately know the error level of the damaged data, the defense code associated with the fast recovery method can be executed first at the expense of accuracy; when the data recovery operation fails, the defense code associated with the method of performing recovery as accurately as possible through many operations can be executed.

[0177] Fig.18 is a schematic diagram for describing an example of an operation in which an electronic device receives a defense code sequence. Figure 1 , Fig.17 and Fig.18 , the electronic device 110 included in the electronic system 100 installed in the autonomous vehicle 1000 transmits the environmental information EI of the storage device 120 to the cloud server 10 in response to an error signal corresponding to the damaged data of the storage device 120 .

[0178] The cloud server 10 may receive from the vehicle 1000-1 the defense code sequence DCS through which data recovery was successful and environmental information about any other environment that the storage device of the vehicle 1000-1 is exposed to. The cloud server 10 may store the defense code sequence DCS optimized for the environmental information EI based on the defense code sequence DCS and environmental information EI received from the vehicle 1000-1.

[0179] The electronic device 110 may receive from the cloud server 10 a defense code sequence DCS corresponding to the environmental information EI transmitted to the cloud server 10. The defense code sequence DCS received from the cloud server 10 corresponds to a defense code sequence DCS optimized based on defense code sequences collected from a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle 1000-1.

[0180] The storage device 120 included in the electronic system 100 can perform a data recovery operation of recovering damaged data based on the optimized defense code sequence DCS received from the cloud server 10, and thus, calculation and time required for data recovery can be saved.

[0181] Meanwhile, when the storage device 120 successfully performs data recovery, the electronic device 110 may send the successful data recovery environment information EI and the defense code sequence DCS to the cloud server 10. The cloud server 10 may update the optimized defense code sequence DCS based on the environment information EI and the defense code sequence DCS received from the autonomous vehicle 1000.

[0182] Fig.19A and Fig.19B is a schematic diagram for describing an example of a defense code executed by an electronic device. Fig.19A, the storage device 120 inputs the defense code DC to perform a data recovery operation on the damaged data.

[0183] The first defense code sequence first DCS of the storage device 120 which is preset provides the following execution order: first defense code DC1, second defense code DC2, third defense code DC3, fourth defense code DC4, ... nth defense code DCn.

[0184] According to the first defense code sequence first DCS, for the efficiency of data recovery time and resources used in data recovery, the defense code that can perform data recovery quickly at the expense of accuracy can be executed first, and then the defense code that can perform data recovery as accurately as possible through many operations can be executed.

[0185] When the storage device 120 successfully recovers the damaged data by executing the defense code, the storage device 120 may end the defense code. When the storage device 120 fails to recover the damaged data by executing the defense code, the storage device 120 may execute the next defense code according to the defense code sequence DCS.

[0186] In some embodiments, after the defense code is input, the storage device 120 may execute the first defense code DC1. When the storage device 120 successfully recovers the damaged data (S), the storage device 120 may end the defense code without executing the remaining defense codes DC2 to DCn. When the storage device 120 fails to recover the damaged data (F) by executing the first defense code DC1, the storage device 120 may execute the second defense code DC2.

[0187] When the storage device 120 fails to recover the corrupted data (F) by executing the nth defense code DCn which is the last defense code of the first defense code sequence first DCS, the storage device 120 may determine that data recovery has failed; in this case, the storage device 120 may notify the electronic device 110 that uncorrectable data has occurred.

[0188] The case where data recovery is successful by executing the fourth defense code DC4 means that data recovery using the first defense code DC1 to the third defense code DC3 has failed. When the storage device 120 directly executes the fourth defense code DC4 without executing the first defense code DC1 to the third defense code DC3, the calculation and time required to execute the first defense code DC1 to the third defense code DC3 can be reduced. However, because the storage device 120 does not know the data corruption level, the storage device 120 executes the first defense code DC1 to the third defense code DC3 sequentially.

[0189] Fig.19BIt shows how to perform a data recovery operation based on a second defense code sequence second DCS received from the cloud server 10.

[0190] The second defense code sequence second DCS received from the cloud server 10 may execute the remaining defense codes except for the specific defense code(s) of the preset first defense code sequence first DCS.

[0191] For example, the preset first defense code sequence first DCS may provide the following execution order: first defense code 1DC1, second defense code DC2, third defense code DC3, fourth defense code DC4, ..., nth defense code DCn; however, according to the second defense code sequence second DCS received from the cloud server 10, the first defense code 1DC1 and the third defense code DC3 may not be executed. After inputting the defense code, the storage device 120 may execute the second defense code DC2. When the storage device 120 successfully recovers the damaged data by executing the second defense code DC2, the storage device 120 may end the defense code. When the storage device 120 fails to recover the damaged data by executing the second defense code DC2, the storage device 120 may execute the fourth defense code DC4.

[0192] The execution order of the defense codes provided by the second DCS can be changed. Fig.19B As shown, first, the defense code DC2 may be executed; when the defense code DC2 fails, the defense code DC4 may be executed. However, the defense code DC2 may be executed after the defense code DC4 is executed.

[0193] The cloud server 10 can provide the storage device 120 with a defense code sequence that is successful in a vehicle in a similar environment, and the storage device 120 can perform a data recovery operation based on the defense code sequence that is successful in a vehicle in a similar environment. The storage device 120 can execute the defense code depending on the optimized defense code sequence, and therefore, the calculation and time required to execute the defense code can be reduced.

[0194] Fig. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of operating an electronic device. Fig. 20 The operation method 300 of the electronic device 110 includes receiving an external temperature ( S310 ). Operation S310 may be performed by the communication interface 111 and the data retention manager 114 included in the electronic device 110 .

[0195] The operating method 300 of the electronic device 110 includes estimating the temperature of the memory device based on the external temperature and the preset temperature offset (S320). Operation S320 may be performed by the temperature monitoring circuit 114a included in the data retention manager 114 of the electronic device 110.

[0196] The operating method 300 of the electronic device 110 includes determining a data management period of the memory device in the shutdown state based on the estimated temperature and data retention parameters of the memory device ( S330 ).

[0197] When the data management period is reached, the operating method 300 of the electronic device 110 includes outputting a battery control signal to the battery system and outputting a data management signal to the storage device ( S340 ). Operation S340 may be performed by the data retention manager 114 included in the electronic device 110 .

[0198] At the same time, the operating method 300 of the electronic device 110 may also include receiving an error signal corresponding to damaged data of the storage device, sending environmental information of the storage device to a cloud server in response to the error signal, receiving a defense code sequence from the cloud server, and sending a defense code sequence to the storage device.

[0199] The operating method 300 of the electronic device 110 may further include receiving an external temperature and a temperature of the storage device during driving of the vehicle, and updating the temperature offset based on the external temperature and the temperature of the storage device received during driving of the vehicle.

[0200] Fig.21 is an example diagram showing the communication of electronic devices installed in an autonomous vehicle. Fig.21 , the autonomous vehicle 2000 communicates with the outside of the autonomous vehicle 2000 through the electronic device 2100.

[0201] The electronic device 2100 may communicate with any other vehicle 2000 - 1 through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication.

[0202] The electronic device 2100 may communicate with the base station 3000 and may send / receive data to / from the cloud server 4000 through vehicle-to-network (V2N) supported by a wireless communication scheme such as 5G communication, long term evolution (LTE), or 3G communication.

[0203] The electronic device 2100 may receive GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, IRNSS, and QZSS navigation signals from the navigation satellite 5000 and may recognize the position of the autonomous vehicle 2000 .

[0204] In some embodiments, an electronic device installed in an autonomous vehicle, an electronic system including the electronic device, and an operating method thereof can reduce power consumption of a storage device and improve reliability of data.

[0205] When the autonomous vehicle is parked, the storage device may be left alone for a long time with the power turned off; in this case, the data stored in the storage device may be damaged. In other words, the reliability of the data stored in the storage device may not be guaranteed. When power is supplied to the storage device to ensure the reliability of the data stored in the storage device, the power in the storage device may be consumed, resulting in a waste of the battery energy of the autonomous vehicle.

[0206] An electronic device, an electronic system including the electronic device, and an operating method thereof can estimate the temperature of a storage device in a power-off state based on an external temperature received from outside an autonomous vehicle, and can determine the timing of performing a data management operation based on the estimated temperature of the storage device. Since power is supplied to the storage device at the timing of performing the data management operation and the data management operation is performed, the storage device can minimize power consumption and can improve the reliability of data stored therein.

[0207] An electronic device, an electronic system including the electronic device, and an operating method thereof can estimate the temperature of a storage device in a closed state based on the external temperature of a vehicle, and can determine the timing of performing a data management operation so that the storage device ensures the reliability of data, and thus, the reliability of the data can be improved.

[0208] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the following claims.

[0209] This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0073610 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on June 8, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. An electronic device installed in a vehicle, include: Communication interface; as well as a data holding circuit configured to communicate via the communication interface, Wherein, the data holding circuit is configured as follows: estimating a temperature of a storage device based on information about an external temperature received through the communication interface and a preset temperature offset, wherein the external temperature is a temperature outside the vehicle; as well as A data management period of the memory device in a closed state is determined based on the temperature of the memory device and a data retention parameter estimated by the data retention circuit.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, in, When the data management period is reached, the data retention circuit is configured to output a battery control signal to a battery control device, and the battery control device is configured to supply power to the storage device in the shutdown state and output a data retention management signal to the storage device.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, in, The data retention circuit is configured to determine the data management period further based on an exposure schedule of the temperature of the memory device and the data retention parameter.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, in, For each of a plurality of time periods, the outside temperature corresponds to a temperature outside the vehicle for the time period, Wherein, the data holding circuit is configured as follows: estimating a temperature of the storage device in each of the plurality of time periods based on the external temperature in each of the plurality of time periods; and The data management period of the storage device in the closed state is determined based on an estimated temperature of the storage device and the data retention parameter in each of the plurality of time periods.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, in, The data retention parameters include a data retention time and an acceleration constant according to a reference temperature.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, in, The data retention circuit is configured to determine the data management period further based on the temperature of the memory device and a scaling factor table of the acceleration constant.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, in, The data holding circuit is configured as follows: In response to an error signal corresponding to damaged data of the storage device, sending environmental information of the storage device to a cloud server through the communication interface; receiving a defense code sequence corresponding to the environmental information from the cloud server; as well as The received defense code sequence is sent to the storage device.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, in, The environmental information includes the exposure temperature and exposure time of the storage device.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, in, The data retention circuit is configured to update the temperature offset based on the temperature of the storage device and an outside temperature outside the vehicle received during driving of the vehicle.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, in, The data retention circuit is further configured to receive information regarding weather type, and wherein the temperature offset is determined based on the outside temperature, the weather type, and the temperature of the storage device.

11. An electronic system, include: Electronic equipment installed in vehicles; Battery system; as well as Storage devices, Wherein, the electronic device is configured as follows: estimating a temperature of the storage device based on received information about an external temperature and a preset temperature offset, wherein the external temperature is a temperature outside the vehicle; determining a data management period for the memory device in a closed state based on the temperature and data retention parameters of the memory device estimated by the electronic system; and When the data management period is reached, a battery control signal for supplying power to the storage device in the shutdown state is output to the battery system, and a data retention management signal is output to the storage device, The battery system is configured to supply power to the storage device in the shutdown state in response to the battery control signal, and Wherein, the storage device is configured to perform a data management operation in response to the data retention management signal.

12. The system according to claim 11, in, The electronic device is configured to determine the data management period further based on an exposure schedule of the temperature of the storage device and the data retention parameter.

13. The system according to claim 11, in, For each of a plurality of time periods, the outside temperature corresponds to a temperature outside the vehicle for the time period, Wherein, the electronic device is configured as follows: estimating a temperature of the storage device in each of the plurality of time periods based on an external temperature in each of the plurality of time periods; and The data management period of the storage device in the closed state is determined based on an estimated temperature of the storage device and the data retention parameter in each of the plurality of time periods.

14. The system according to claim 13, in, The data retention parameters include a data retention time and an acceleration constant according to a reference temperature.

15. The electronic system according to claim 14, in, The electronic device is configured to determine the data management period further based on a scaling factor table of the temperature of the storage device and the acceleration constant in each of the plurality of time periods.

16. The electronic system according to claim 11, in, The data management operation includes at least one of a scan operation, a refresh operation, or a reclaim operation.

17. The electronic system according to claim 11, in, The electronic device is configured as follows: In response to an error signal corresponding to damaged data of the storage device, sending environmental information of the storage device to a cloud server; receiving a defense code sequence corresponding to the environmental information from the cloud server; as well as sending the received defense code sequence to the storage device, Wherein, the storage device is configured to recover the damaged data based on the defense code sequence.

18. A method for operating an electronic device installed in a vehicle, the method include: receiving information regarding an outside temperature, wherein the outside temperature is a temperature outside the vehicle; estimating a temperature of a storage device based on the external temperature and a preset temperature offset to provide an estimated temperature of the storage device; determining a data management period for the storage device in a closed state based on an estimated temperature and a data retention parameter of the storage device; as well as When the data management period is reached, a battery control signal is output to the battery system, and a data management signal is output to the storage device.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: include: receiving an error signal corresponding to corrupted data of the storage device; In response to the error signal, sending environmental information of the storage device to a cloud server; receiving a defense code sequence from the cloud server; as well as The defense code sequence is sent to the storage device.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: include: receiving information about an outside temperature and information about a temperature of the storage device during driving of the vehicle; as well as The temperature offset is updated based on the external temperature and the temperature of the storage device provided during driving of the vehicle.

Images