Soft Data Compression Symbols for Faster Non-Volatile Memory Reads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Non-volatile memory devices face challenges in increasing storage capacity and operating speed while maintaining performance, particularly in compressing soft data streams for efficient transmission between storage controllers and media.
Innovation Solution
A data storage system that employs an encoder to generate symbols representing soft data streams, using a lookup table to map combinations of bits into symbols, and conveys these symbols through an electrical interface circuitry, including a FIFO buffer for efficient data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If soft data streams are transmitted without compression, then data integrity is maintained, but transmission time and interface bandwidth consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The soft data stream is divided into fixed-width groups (e.g., 8-bit groups) that are processed independently through the compression algorithm. Each group is segmented into individual bits, which are then evaluated and encoded separately, allowing parallel processing and reducing overall transmission time without requiring complex sequential analysis of the entire data stream
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter representation by encoding the presence or absence of transitions (edges) between consecutive bits rather than transmitting the raw bit values directly. This parameter transformation converts the soft data stream into a transition pattern that requires fewer bits to represent, achieving compression while maintaining data integrity through lossless encoding
2Quantity of substance
If storage capacity is increased, then more data can be stored, but operating speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The compression algorithm acts as an intermediary between the storage medium and the interface circuitry, transforming soft data streams into compressed representations before transmission. This intermediary processing layer enables faster data transfer rates by reducing the volume of data that must be transmitted across the interface, thereby maintaining operating speed even as storage capacity increases
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from transmitting data in the time dimension (sequential bit streams) to transmitting data in a compressed dimensional space by encoding transition patterns. This dimensional transformation allows more information to be conveyed in fewer transmission cycles, effectively increasing operating speed without sacrificing storage capacity
3Productivity
If soft data streams are compressed using traditional algorithms, then transmission efficiency improves, but implementation complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The compression algorithm is implemented directly within the storage medium's existing logic structure, utilizing the same circuitry that generates the soft data stream to perform the compression. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate, complex compression hardware or software components, reducing implementation complexity while maintaining high transmission efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The same logic circuitry within the storage medium that generates soft data stream values is also configured to perform the compression function. This multi-functional approach allows the existing hardware to serve dual purposes: data generation and data compression, thereby improving transmission efficiency without adding implementation complexity or requiring additional dedicated compression resources
Data Source
AI summary
An encoder of a storage medium encodes data subject to a read operation specified by a storage controller by generating a plurality of symbols representing a soft data stream corresponding to the data subject to the read operation, where each symbol of the plurality of symbols includes (i) a single-bit value number indicating whether the symbol counts 0s or 1s, and (ii) an N-bit count number indicating a bit count associated with the symbol, where N is greater than or equal to two, and the encoder of the storage medium is configured to convey the plurality of generated symbols to the storage controller via electrical interface circuitry connecting the storage medium and the storage controller.