# US 12,112,044 B2 · Recognition and report of expected write amplification violation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,112,044 B2 - Document ID: US12112044B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/743,391 - Filed: 2022-05-12 - Published: 2023-11-16 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2022-05-12 - Assignees: SanDisk Technologies LLC - Applicants: Western Digital Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Alexander Lemberg; Aki Bleyer; Rotem Sela - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12112044B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0616: {in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]} - G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors} - G06F 3/0653: {Monitoring storage devices or systems} - G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling} - G06F 3/0679: {Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract The present disclosure generally relates to recognizing a violation of an expected write amplification (WAF) rate and informing a host device of the violation so that the host device may take corrective action and ensure the data storage device does not reach end of life (EOL) earlier than expected. The host can provide the data storage device with an expected lifetime and may additionally provide a benchmark WAF rate. The data storage device compares the actual WAF rate to the benchmark WAF rate and notifies the host device of any violation where the actual WAF rate exceeds the benchmark WAF rate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A data storage device, comprising: a memory device; and a controller coupled to the memory device, wherein the controller is configured to: determine an expected write amplification factor (WAF) rate; determine an actual WAF rate; compare the expected WAF rate to the actual WAF rate; inform a host device of results of the comparing; receive an updated lifetime value and corrective action from the host device; implement the corrective action; and calculate a new WAF. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The data storage device of claim 1, wherein informing the host device comprises informing the host device that the actual WAF rate is greater than the expected WAF rate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The data storage device of claim 1, wherein determining an expected WAF rate comprises receiving the expected WAF rate from the host device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: receive an expected host lifetime value; determine a sense period; and the determining the expected WAF rate based upon the expected host lifetime value and the sense period. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The data storage device of claim 4, wherein the determining the expected WAF rate comprises dividing the expected host lifetime value by the sense period such that the expected WAF rate is equally distributed across each sense period over the expected host lifetime value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The data storage device of claim 5, wherein determining the sense period comprises receiving a sense period value from the host device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the host device is an automobile. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the host device is a mobile device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: determine a new expected WAF rate; calculate a new actual WAF rate; compare the new actual WAF rate to the new expected WAF rate; and inform the host device when the new actual WAF rate is greater than the new expected WAF rate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The data storage device of claim 1, wherein the determining a new expected WAF rate occurs after informing the host device of results of the comparing. ### Claim 11 A data storage device, comprising: a memory device; and a controller coupled to the memory device, wherein the controller is configured to: receive an expected write amplification factor (WAF) rate from a host device; calculate an actual WAF rate; determine the actual WAF rate is greater than the expected WAF rate; inform the host device that the actual WAF rate is greater than the expected WAF rate; receive an updated lifetime value and corrective action from the host device; implement the corrective action; and calculate a new WAF. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the actual WAF rate is calculated over a predetermined period of time. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The data storage device of claim 12, wherein the predetermined period of time is set by the host device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the data storage device is configured to be secured by the host device after informing the host device that the actual WAF rate is greater than the expected WAF rate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the expected WAF rate is for a first period of time and the actual WAF rate is for a second period of time that is different from the first period of time. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The data storage device of claim 15, wherein the first period of time is set by the host device and the second period of time is set by the data storage device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The data storage device of claim 11, wherein informing the host device comprises setting a bit in a universal flash storage (UFS) protocol information unit (UPIU) response data structure. ### Claim 18 A data storage device, comprising: memory means; a controller coupled to the memory means, wherein the controller is configured to: determine a violation of a write amplification factor (WAF) rate, wherein the WAF rate is based upon determining an actual WAF rate is greater than an estimated WAF rate provided by a host device; inform the host device of the violation; receive an updated lifetime value and corrective action from the host device; implement the corrective action; and calculate a new WAF. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The data storage device of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to receive an indication from the host device that the host device has initiated detection of malicious software (SW) in response to the informing. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The data storage device of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to calculate a data storage device lifetime based upon the determining.