# US 11,030,033 B2 · Memory device and method for handling interrupts thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,030,033 B2 - Document ID: US11030033B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/573,353 - Filed: 2019-09-17 - Published: 2020-03-19 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-18 - Assignees: Winbond Electronics Corp. - Applicants: Winbond Electronics Corp. - Inventors: Cheng-Han Lee; Chien-Ti Hou; Ying-Te Tu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11030033B2 ## CPC - G06F 11/0772: {Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers} - G06F 11/076: {by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit} - G11C 11/4063: Auxiliary circuits, e.g. for addressing, decoding, driving, writing, sensing or timing - G11C 11/40615: {Internal triggering or timing of refresh, e.g. hidden refresh, self refresh, pseudo-SRAMs} - G11C 11/40626: {Temperature related aspects of refresh operations} - G11C 29/42: using error correcting codes [ECC] or parity check - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B) ## Abstract A memory device is provided. The memory device includes: a memory cell array; a monitoring circuit, and an event-checking circuit. The monitoring circuit is configured to detect one or more event parameters of the memory cell array, wherein the one or more event parameters correspond to one or more interrupt events of the memory cell array. The event-checking circuit is configured to determine whether to assert an interrupt signal according to the one or more event parameters detected by the monitoring circuit. In response to the event-checking circuit determining to assert the interrupt signal, a processor handles the one or more interrupt events of the memory device according to the interrupt signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A memory device, comprising: a memory cell array; a monitoring circuit, configured to detect one or more event parameters of the memory cell array, wherein the one or more event parameters correspond to one or more interrupt events of the memory cell array; an event-checking circuit, configured to determine whether to assert an interrupt signal according to the one or more event parameters detected by the monitoring circuit; and a control logic, configured to control the memory cell array according to a command from a processor, wherein the control logic comprises a mode register that pre-records a plurality of operation modes of the memory cell array and a status of the interrupt event corresponding to each event parameter, wherein in response to the event-checking circuit determining to assert the interrupt signal, the event-checking circuit directly transmits the interrupt signal to the processor via a physical interrupt pin of the memory device, so that the processor handles the one or more interrupt events of the memory device according to the interrupt signal, wherein in response to the processor having handled each interrupt event sequentially, the processor changes the status of each interrupt event in the mode register to a normal status. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The memory device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more event parameters comprise a refresh timer, an operation temperature, an operation voltage, a leakage current, usage of memory rows and columns, an error-correction-code (ECC) coverage of the memory cell array, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The memory device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the event-checking circuit determines whether the interrupt event corresponding to each event parameter occurs, and in response to an occurrence of the interrupt event corresponding to each event parameter, the event-checking circuit assigns a weighting value to each event parameter, and calculates a sum value of the weighting value of each event parameter, wherein in response to the sum value being larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the event-checking circuit asserts the interrupt signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The memory device as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the refresh timer is longer than a predetermined time, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the refresh timer to a first value, in response to the usage of memory rows and columns being larger than a predetermined number, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the usage of memory rows and columns to the first value, in response to the ECC coverage being larger than a predetermined ratio, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the ECC coverage to the first value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The memory device as claimed in claim 3, wherein: in response to the operation temperature being lower than a first temperature threshold, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the operation temperature to a second value; in response to the operation temperature being between the first temperature threshold and a second temperature threshold, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the operation temperature to a third value; and in response to the operation temperature being between the second temperature threshold and a third temperature threshold, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the operation temperature to a fourth value; wherein the third temperature threshold is greater than the second temperature threshold, and the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The memory device as claimed in claim 3, wherein in response to the operation voltage being lower than a specific ratio of a predetermined operation voltage, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the operation voltage to a fifth value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The memory device as claimed in claim 3, wherein in response to the leakage current being greater than a predetermined current, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the leakage current to a sixth value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The memory device as claimed in claim 1, wherein in response to the event-checking circuit determining that the status of each interrupt event in the mode register is the normal status, the event-checking circuit de-asserts the interrupt signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The memory device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the event-checking circuit issues the interrupt signal having the highest priority to a system interrupt arbiter outside the memory device, and the system interrupt arbiter transmits a fast-interrupt-request signal to the processor, and the processor handles the one or more interrupt events of the memory device in response to the interrupt signal to restore the memory device to normal operation. ### Claim 10 A method for handling interrupts in a memory device, wherein the memory device comprises a memory cell array and a control logic, and the control logic controls the memory cell array in response to a command from a processor, wherein the control logic comprises a mode register that pre-records a plurality of operation modes of the memory cell array and a status of the interrupt event corresponding to each event parameter, the method comprising: detecting one or more event parameters of the memory cell array, wherein the one or more event parameters correspond to one or more interrupt events of the memory cell array; determining, by the memory device, whether to assert an interrupt signal according to the detected one or more event parameters; when it is determined to assert the interrupt signal, directly sending the interrupt signal to the processor through a physical interrupt pin of the memory device to utilize the processor to handle the one or more interrupt events of the memory device in response to the interrupt signal; and in response to the processor having handled each interrupt event sequentially, modifying the status of each interrupt event in the mode register to a normal status. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the one or more event parameters comprise a refresh timer, an operation temperature, an operation voltage, a leakage current, usage of memory rows and columns, an error-correction-code (ECC) coverage of the memory cell array, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: determining whether the interrupt event corresponding to each event parameter occurs; in response to the occurrence of the interrupt event corresponding to each event parameter, assigning a weighting value to each event parameter, and calculating a sum value of the weighting value of each event parameter; and in response to the sum value being larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold, asserting the interrupt signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising: in response to the refresh timer being longer than a predetermined time, setting the weighting parameter corresponding to the refresh timer to a first value, in response to the usage of memory rows and columns being larger than a predetermined number, setting the weighting parameter corresponding to the usage of memory rows and columns to the first value, in response to the ECC coverage being larger than a predetermined ratio, setting the weighting parameter corresponding to the ECC coverage to the first value. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising: in response to the operation temperature being lower than a first temperature threshold, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the operation temperature to a second value; in response to the operation temperature being between the first temperature threshold and a second temperature threshold, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the operation temperature to a third value; and in response to the operation temperature being between the second temperature threshold and a third temperature threshold, the event-checking circuit sets the weighting parameter corresponding to the operation temperature to a fourth value; wherein the third temperature threshold is greater than the second temperature threshold, and the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising: in response to the operation voltage being lower than a specific ratio of a predetermined operation voltage, setting the weighting parameter corresponding to the operation voltage to a fifth value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising: in response to the leakage current being greater than a predetermined current, setting the weighting parameter corresponding to the leakage current to a sixth value. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising: in response to determining that the status of each interrupt event in the mode register is the normal status, de-asserting the interrupt signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising: issuing the interrupt signal having the highest priority to a system interrupt arbiter outside the memory device; transmitting a fast-interrupt-request signal to the processor by the system interrupt arbiter; and utilizing the processor to handle the one or more interrupt events of the memory device in response to the interrupt signal to restore the memory device to normal operation.