Boot-Activation Unit Self-Correction for Memory Block Failures

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data control units face reliability issues during bootstrapping due to bad memory blocks, particularly block 0, which can fail, leading to system crashes, and existing error-correction algorithms cannot guarantee functionality throughout the unit's life.

Innovation Solution

A data control unit with a boot-activation unit that includes a temporary memory for boot information, a detector for critical-error conditions, and a redundancy activator to switch to a spare memory portion when errors exceed correctable limits, ensuring continued functionality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If error-correction algorithms are used to handle bad memory blocks, then reliability during bootstrapping is improved, but the algorithms cannot guarantee functionality throughout the unit's life and block 0 can still fail leading to system crashes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebootstrapping reliabilityVSAvoidunit lifetime functionality

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-mapping a spare memory block to the boot block address before any failure occurs. When block 0 fails, the system automatically switches to the pre-prepared spare block without requiring any corrective action during the failure event. This advance preparation ensures continuous functionality throughout the unit's lifetime, resolving the contradiction between initial boot reliability and long-term durability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements beforehand cushioning by maintaining a spare memory block as a buffer against future failures. This spare block acts as a protective measure that absorbs the impact of block 0 degradation over time, ensuring that even after the unit has been operating for extended periods, boot functionality is preserved through automatic switching to the备用 block when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If a spare memory block is allocated and mapping is updated upon error detection, then system continuity is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional mapping management

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem continuityVSAvoidmapping management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the memory block management into distinct functional components: the primary boot block (block 0), the spare backup block, and the mapping mechanism that connects them. This segmentation allows each component to be independently managed and tested, simplifying the overall complexity while ensuring system continuity through the dedicated spare block architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS7444543B2Data control unit capable of correcting boot errors, and corresponding self-correction method

Publication Date: 2008.10.28 MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

A boot method for a data control unit downloads boot information from a nonvolatile memory into a temporary buffer of a boot-activation unit. A processing unit is activated by the boot-activation unit; a boot code is executed by the processing unit; and an operating code is downloaded from the nonvolatile memory into a volatile memory through the boot-activation unit. To correct possible errors in the block of the nonvolatile memory containing information and boot codes, the boot-activation unit verifies whether the boot information downloaded into its volatile memory has a critical-error condition and activates a spare memory portion of the nonvolatile memory in presence of the critical-error condition.