Flash Memory Block Management via Logical Zone Mapping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flash memory management methods are inefficient, leading to reduced production yield and shortened lifespan due to excessive access time for mapping relationships and damage from frequent logical block access, as well as insufficient storage space when physical blocks become damaged.
Innovation Solution
A block management method that groups logical blocks into zones, records mapping relationships in logical zone tables, and uses a single no-data physical block table for substitution, avoiding frequent access to specific physical blocks and managing bad blocks separately to prolong lifespan and improve yield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If physical blocks are grouped into multiple physical zones with independent substitution, then mapping management is simplified, but access time increases and lifespan is reduced due to frequent access to specific zones
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all physical zones into a single substitution pool, eliminating the need for independent zone management. The logical zone table still maintains zone structure for organization, but the physical block substitution is performed across all zones uniformly, reducing access time and extending lifespan by distributing wear across the entire flash memory capacity.
2Reliability
If multiple no-data physical block tables are used for different zones, then zone independence is maintained, but system resources are wasted and substitution efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple zone-specific no-data physical block tables into a single unified table that manages all no-data physical blocks across all zones. This unified table maintains the logical organization of zones while enabling efficient global substitution, improving productivity by reducing table lookup time and resource consumption while maintaining reliability through preserved logical zone structure.
3Reliability
If damaged physical blocks are isolated to specific zones, then data integrity is protected, but storage capacity is reduced when entire zones become unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the management of damaged blocks at the block level rather than zone level. The logical zone table tracks which physical blocks are damaged or bad, allowing the system to skip only the specific damaged blocks while still utilizing all remaining functional blocks across all zones. This maintains data integrity by avoiding damaged blocks while maximizing storage capacity by keeping undamaged blocks in all zones available for substitution.
4Speed
If frequent writing occurs to specific logical zones, then data access efficiency is improved, but wear on corresponding physical zones increases and lifespan is shortened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic physical block substitution where the mapping between logical zones and physical blocks is not fixed but changes over time. The logical zone table is updated to remap logical blocks to different physical blocks across various zones, distributing write operations uniformly across all physical zones rather than concentrating them in specific zones. This dynamic remapping maintains data access efficiency while extending the overall lifespan by balancing wear across the entire flash memory capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A block management method for managing a mapping relationship between a plurality of logical blocks and a plurality of physical blocks of a flash memory is provided. The block management method includes: grouping the logical blocks into a plurality of logical zones; recording the mapping relationship between each logical block in each logical zone and all the data physical blocks among the physical blocks in a corresponding logical zone table in unit of the logical zones; and recording all the no-data physical blocks among the physical blocks with a single no-data physical block table. Thereby, the logical blocks can be mapped to all the physical blocks so that frequent access to specific physical blocks can be avoided when a user writes data into a specific logical zone frequently, and accordingly the lifespan of the flash memory can be prolonged.