Overlapping ECC Frames for Variable-Length Memory Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory systems face inefficiencies when handling variable-length data, particularly compressed data, leading to increased storage of invalid data and higher data transmission requirements, which degrade performance.
Innovation Solution
The memory system generates ECC frames with overlapping areas to reduce invalid data storage and minimize data transmission by overlapping adjacent frames, ensuring efficient use of storage and reducing the number of read operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If variable-length compressed data is written into fixed-size ECC frames, then data storage flexibility is improved, but invalid data increases and storage efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds multiple ECC frames within a single page structure, where each ECC frame contains data and parity regions. Compressed variable-length data is nested within the data region of ECC frames, allowing efficient packing while minimizing invalid data through proper frame boundary management and overlapping strategies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the number and size of ECC frames per page based on the actual compressed data length. By changing the parameter of frame count and allocation from fixed to variable, the system optimizes storage efficiency and reduces invalid data while maintaining adaptability to different data sizes.
2Reliability
If fixed-size ECC frames are used for all data, then error correction reliability is improved, but storage capacity utilization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides each page into multiple ECC frames, where each frame is a self-contained unit with its own data and parity regions. This segmentation allows the system to maintain fixed-size reliable error correction blocks while efficiently utilizing total page capacity by packing multiple frames and reducing wasted space through overlapping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the dimension of multiple frames per page, transforming the single-frame-per-page model into a multi-frame structure. This dimensional change enables better space utilization by allowing frames to overlap and share boundary regions, thereby increasing storage capacity utilization while preserving the reliability of each individual ECC frame.
3Reliability
If compressed data is written without frame overlapping, then data integrity is improved, but data transmission requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges adjacent ECC frames by overlapping their boundary regions, where the tail end of one frame and the head of the next frame share common data. This merging reduces redundant data transmission while maintaining data integrity through the overlapping parity and data regions that preserve error correction capabilities across frame boundaries.
Data Source
AI summary
A memory system includes a nonvolatile memory device and a controller configured to generate page data of a first predetermined size, which includes a plurality of error correction frames, each of which has a second predetermined size, and write the generated page data into the nonvolatile memory device. The plurality of error correction frames includes a first error correction frame and a second error correction frame. The first error correction frame includes first data and a first error correction data for correcting the first data. The second error correction frame includes second data and a second error correction data for correcting the second data. The first error correction frame and the second error correction frame partially overlap with each other. An overlapping area of the first and second error correction frames includes a part of the first data and a part of the second data.