Flash Memory Block Management via Logical-Physical Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flash memory storage devices face limited lifespan due to the high number of physical block erasures, leading to damage and a decrease in accessible storage capacity, necessitating a method to prolong their operational life.
Innovation Solution
A block management method that configures logical addresses and maps them to physical blocks, utilizing a logical block-physical block mapping table to record relationships and mark deleted logical addresses as invalid, preventing access and reallocating spare physical blocks to maintain data integrity and extend device lifespan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If physical blocks are repeatedly erased to accommodate write operations, then storage device functionality is maintained, but the lifespan of the flash memory decreases due to limited erase cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flash memory into multiple areas including a first spare area and a second spare area. The first spare area is used for normal block replacement during write operations, while the second spare area is specifically reserved for replacing logical blocks marked as bad. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functionality by distributing wear across different physical blocks while preserving the overall lifespan through structured resource management.
2Reliability
If damaged physical blocks are replaced from the spare area, then data accessibility is maintained, but the number of available spare blocks decreases leading to write protect status
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring two separate spare areas before normal operation begins. The first spare area is prepared for routine block replacement, and the second spare area is pre-designated as a backup reservoir. When the first spare area is depleted, the system can draw from the second spare area, preventing write protect status and maintaining data accessibility throughout the device's operational life.
3Reliability
If logical blocks are remapped to spare physical blocks, then data integrity is maintained, but the complexity of block management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer in the form of a logical block-physical block mapping table that mediates between logical block addresses and physical block locations. This mapping table automatically tracks and updates the correspondence between logical and physical blocks, simplifying the management complexity by providing a centralized registration mechanism rather than requiring complex scattered tracking across multiple data structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A block management method for managing a plurality of physical blocks of a flash memory chip is provided. The block management method includes configuring a plurality of logical addresses; mapping the logical addresses to a plurality of logical blocks; and mapping the logical blocks to the physical blocks. Additionally, the block management method also includes obtaining deleting records related to a plurality of deleted logical addresses from a host system, wherein data stored in the deleted logical addresses is recognized as invalid by the host system. And, the block management method further includes obtaining a deleted logical block, marking each of the logical addresses mapped to the deleted logical block as a bad logical address, and linking the physical block mapped to the deleted logical block to a spare area. Accordingly, the block management method can effectively prolong the lifespan of a flash memory chip.