Memory Controller Delay Unit for Flash Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory systems face challenges in minimizing power consumption during standby mode due to frequent transitions and rewrites in flash memory, leading to increased wear and tear and power consumption, especially when frequently switching between active and low power consumption modes.
Innovation Solution
A memory system incorporating a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a volatile semiconductor memory, and a controller with a delay unit that delays the low power direction signal for a predetermined time before transitioning to a low power consumption mode, reducing the number of transitions and rewrites in flash memory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the memory system transitions to low power consumption mode frequently, then power consumption during standby is reduced, but the flash memory suffers from increased wear and tear due to repeated rewrite operations
Solution Approach 1:
The management information is preliminarily stored in the volatile main storage device before transitioning to low power consumption mode. This preliminary action ensures that data is saved in fast storage while the system is still active, allowing the system to enter low power mode without frequently rewriting the flash memory, thus reducing wear while maintaining power efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
A volatile main storage device (RAM) is introduced as an intermediary between the host and the flash memory. This intermediary allows the system to maintain management information in fast volatile memory during active periods and only rewrite to flash memory when necessary, reducing the frequency of rewrite operations and extending flash memory lifespan while enabling efficient low power mode transitions
2Speed
If the memory system transitions to low power consumption mode promptly, then recovery speed is improved, but the large amount of management information requires extensive rewrite operations that increase power consumption and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary storage of management information in volatile main storage before mode transition. This ensures that when recovery is needed, the system can quickly restore from the volatile storage without performing extensive rewrite operations during the transition process, thus maintaining fast recovery speed while minimizing power consumption during transitions
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a low power direction received from a host device is delayed for a first predetermined time and is output as a first signal, and an internal state is caused to transition to a low power consumption mode that corresponds to the low power direction when a second predetermined time has elapsed after the first signal is asserted.