Flash Memory Controller Unifying Access Formats via Mapping Tables
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Solution Overview
Problem
The incompatibility of hardware structures among different flash memory types limits their combination and usage, resulting in wasted capacity and increased costs, as controllers are specific to certain capacities and types, preventing the mixing of flash memories with varying capacities.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize an independent controller to manage different types of flash memories by setting them into a compatible format, adjusting data accessing formats, and establishing a mapping table to record command sets and logical address ranges, allowing for unified data access operations across varying memory types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If controllers are designed to be specific to certain capacities and types of flash memories, then reliability of data access is improved, but adaptability to different memory configurations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is designed with universal compatibility to work with multiple types and capacities of flash memories (SLC, MLC, different block and page sizes) through a unified interface and standardized command set, eliminating the need for multiple specialized controllers while maintaining reliable data access across diverse memory configurations
2Adaptability or versatility
If different types of flash memories with varying capacities are mixed and managed, then adaptability and capacity utilization are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller acts as an intermediary between the host and diverse flash memory devices, providing a unified interface that abstracts the complexity of different memory types. It handles format conversion, command translation, and address mapping automatically, allowing the host to access mixed memory configurations without dealing with their underlying complexity
3Ease of operation
If flash memories are formatted into compatible formats with unified accessing units, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The controller dynamically adjusts formatting parameters such as block size, page size, and accessing units to create a unified compatible format across different flash memory types. It transforms diverse physical characteristics into standardized logical parameters that simplify data access operations while accommodating the underlying hardware variations
Data Source
AI summary
A method, an apparatus and a controller for managing memories are provided. In the present invention, a data accessing format of each of the memories is adjusted such that the accessing units for each data accessing operation are unified. A mapping table is then established for recording the adjusted data accessing format. When a data accessing command is received from a host, the mapping table is inquired so as to execute the data accessing command. Accordingly, incompatibility of hardware structures can be resolved, and management of different types of flash memory can be achieved.