# US 10,503,241 B2 · Providing energy information to memory

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- Number: US 10,503,241 B2
- Document ID: US10503241B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/815,209
- Filed: 2017-11-16
- Published: 2018-11-22
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-16
- Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Greg Blodgett; Daniele Balluchi; Danilo Caraccio; Graziano Mirichigni
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10503241B2

## CPC

- G06F 1/3275: {Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache}
- G06F 13/1668: {Details of memory controller}
- G06F 1/188: Mounting of power supply units
- G06F 1/305: {in the event of power-supply fluctuations}
- G06F 1/3212: Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
- G06F 11/3062: {where the monitored property is the power consumption (power management in a computing system G06F1/3203)}
- G11C 5/142: {Contactless power supplies, e.g. RF, induction, or IR}
- G11C 5/144: {Detection of predetermined disconnection or reduction of power supply, e.g. power down or power standby}
- G06F 2201/81: Threshold
- G11C 11/4072: Circuits for initialization, powering up or down, clearing memory or presetting
- G11C 11/4074: Power supply or voltage generation circuits, e.g. bias voltage generators, substrate voltage generators, back-up power, power control circuits
- G11C 16/20: Initialising; Data preset; Chip identification
- G11C 16/30: Power supply circuits
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for providing energy information to memory. An embodiment includes determining, by a host, that a charge level of an energy source coupled to the host has reached or exceeded a threshold value, and transmitting, from the host to a memory device coupled to the host, signaling indicative of an energy mode for the memory device, wherein the signaling is transmitted based at least in part on determining that the charge level of the energy source has reached or exceeded the threshold.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
determining, by a host:
that a charge level of an energy source coupled to the host has reached or exceeded a threshold value; and
whether the energy source is a removable energy source; and
transmitting, from the host to a memory device coupled to the host, signaling indicative of an energy mode for the memory device, wherein the signaling is transmitted based at least in part on determining that the charge level of the energy source has reached or exceeded the threshold and that the energy source is a removable energy source, wherein the signaling refrains from enabling a particular energy mode for the memory device when the energy source is a removable energy source.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the signaling indicative of the energy mode for the memory device includes transmitting a write descriptor and data that indicates the energy mode for the memory device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the signaling indicative of the energy mode for the memory device includes setting or clearing a flag that enables or disables the energy mode for the memory device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the flag comprises a Boolean value representative of one energy mode selected from a set of energy modes for the memory device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the energy mode comprises:
a first mode for which the host has sufficient energy for normal operation of the memory device; or
a second mode for which the memory device is requested to conserve energy.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the normal operation of the memory device includes:
processing commands received from the host; and
performing background operations.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the background operations include at least one of wear leveling, bad block management, wiping, or garbage collection, or any combination thereof.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the energy mode comprises one of a plurality of low energy modes, wherein each respective one of the plurality of low energy modes includes a different mechanism for reducing energy consumption of the memory device.

### Claim 9

A method, comprising:
receiving, by a memory device from a host coupled to the memory device:
signaling indicative of an energy mode for the memory device; and
signaling indicative of whether an energy source is a removable energy source, wherein the signaling refrains from enabling a particular energy mode for the memory device if the energy source is a removable energy source; and
determining, by the memory device, whether to perform one or more background operations based at least in part on the signaling received from the host.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the signaling indicative of the energy mode includes receiving a write descriptor and data that indicates the energy mode for the memory device.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the method includes:
decoding the write descriptor and data; and
writing a value associated with the energy mode to a descriptor of the memory device based at least in part on information decoded from the write descriptor and data.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the signaling indicative of the energy mode includes setting or clearing a flag that enables or disables the energy mode for the memory device.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the flag comprises a Boolean value representative of one energy mode selected from a set of energy modes for the memory device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the energy mode comprises:
a first mode for which the host has sufficient energy for normal operation of the memory device; or
a second mode for which the memory device is requested to conserve energy.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the normal operation of the memory device includes:
processing commands received from the host; and
performing the one or more background operations.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more background operations include at least one of wear leveling, bad block management, wiping, or garbage collection, or any combination thereof.

### Claim 17 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the energy mode comprises one of a plurality of low energy modes, wherein each respective one of the plurality of low energy modes includes a different mechanism for reducing energy consumption of the memory device.

### Claim 18

A system, comprising:
a processor; and
a controller coupled to the processor, wherein at least one of the processor or controller is configured to determine:
that a charge level of an energy source coupled with the processor has reached or exceeded a threshold value; and
whether the energy source is a removable energy source; and
an interface coupled with the controller and configured to transmit, to a memory device, signaling indicative of an energy mode for the memory device based at least in part on the processor or controller determining that the charge level of the energy source has reached or exceeded the threshold and whether the energy source is a removable energy source; and
wherein the controller or processor is configured to refrain from enabling a particular energy mode for the memory device if the energy source is a removable energy source.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the signaling indicative of the energy mode for the memory device includes a write descriptor and data that indicates the energy mode for the memory device.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the signaling indicative of the energy mode for the memory device includes a flag that enables or disables the energy mode for the memory device.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The system of claim 20, wherein the flag comprises a Boolean value representative of one energy mode selected from a set of energy modes for the memory device.

### Claim 22 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the energy mode comprises a mode for which the host has sufficient energy for normal operation of the memory device.

### Claim 23 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the energy mode comprises a mode for which the memory device is requested to conserve energy.

### Claim 24 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the energy mode comprises one of a plurality of low energy modes, wherein each respective one of the plurality of low energy modes includes a different mechanism for reducing energy consumption of the memory device.

### Claim 25

A memory device, comprising:
an interface configured to receive signaling indicative of an energy mode for the memory device and whether the energy source is a removable energy source, wherein the signaling refrains from enabling a particular energy mode for the memory device if the energy source is a removable energy source;
control circuitry coupled with the interface; and
an array of nonvolatile memory cells;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether to perform one or more background operations on the array of nonvolatile memory cells based at least in part on signaling indicative of the energy mode for the memory device.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The memory device of claim 25, wherein:
the signaling indicative of the energy mode includes a write descriptor and data that indicates the energy mode for the memory device; and
the control circuitry is configured to:
decode the write descriptor and data; and
write a value associated with the energy mode to a descriptor of the memory device based at least in part on information decoded from the write descriptor and data.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The memory device of claim 25, wherein:
the signaling indicative of the energy mode includes a flag that enables or disables the energy mode for the memory device; and
the interface is configured to set or clear the flag.

### Claim 28 (depends on 25)

The memory device of claim 25, wherein the energy mode comprises a mode for which the host has sufficient energy for normal operation of the memory device, wherein the normal operation of the memory device includes performing the one or more background operations.

### Claim 29 (depends on 25)

The memory device of claim 25, wherein the one or more background operations include at least one of wear leveling, bad block management, wiping, or garbage collection, or any combination thereof.

### Claim 30 (depends on 25)

The memory device of claim 25, wherein the energy mode comprises a low energy mode.