Memory Device Error Evaluation for Fault Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Memory device errors are often improperly attributed to device failures when they are actually caused by external system faults, leading to incorrect fault diagnosis and unnecessary replacement.
Innovation Solution
A memory device configured to monitor access errors across multiple banks, inferring whether errors are due to internal or external failures by analyzing the distribution of errors, and storing a status indicator to guide improved fault diagnosis and resolution efforts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If memory device errors are attributed to device failures, then fault diagnosis is simplified, but incorrect replacements occur and productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the error analysis by dividing memory banks into different groups and analyzing error distributions across these segments. By examining whether errors are concentrated in specific banks or uniformly distributed across all banks, the system can differentiate between internal memory device failures (errors concentrated in specific segments) and external system faults (errors uniformly distributed). This segmentation approach enables accurate fault attribution without unnecessary replacements.
2Measurement precision
If error monitoring is implemented across multiple banks, then fault diagnosis accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The memory device performs self-diagnosis by autonomously monitoring its own error conditions across multiple banks and automatically determining whether errors stem from internal or external sources. The device uses its existing error correction logic units and status registers to conduct this self-evaluation, eliminating the need for complex external monitoring systems while achieving accurate fault attribution.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for error evaluation for a memory system are described. A memory device may be configured to monitor access errors of the memory device to evaluate a likelihood that such errors are related to a failure of the memory device itself or to a failure outside the memory device. For example, a memory device may monitor a respective quantity of errors for each of a set of banks and, if the memory device detects that multiple banks are associated with a threshold quantity of access errors, the memory device may infer the presence of a failure outside the memory device. The memory device may store an indication of such a detection, which may be used to support failure diagnosis or resolution efforts, such as refraining from replacing a memory device when access errors are more likely to be the result of a system failure.