Method for assisting in the identification of blank sectors of a non-volatile memory of a microcontroller
AssigneeVitesco Technologies Gbmh
InventorStéphane Laborie-Fulchic
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for helping to identify blank sectors of a non-volatile memory of a microcontroller is disclosed; the method includes, each time a command to write or to erase a certain sector of the matrix of memory cells of a non-volatile memory is received, in writing, to a certain memory cell of a register of the microcontroller, which memory cell is associated with the certain sector, information representative of the fact that the sector has been written or erased, that is to say of the fact that the sector in question is written or blank.
Claims8
A method for managing a non-volatile, rewritable memory of a microcontroller, said non-volatile memory comprising a matrix of memory cells organized into a plurality of sectors each comprising a plurality of memory cells;
- and a controller configured to manage said matrix of memory cells, wherein the controller comprises an interface configured to receive commands to:
- (a) write, read, or erase data to or from the non-volatile memory, and (b) interpret said received commands and perform operations corresponding to said received commands on certain memory cells of the non-volatile memory, wherein said method is carried out by the interface, said method comprising:
- receiving, by the interface, a command to write data to at least one memory cell of a certain sector of the matrix of memory cells, or a command to erase said certain sector;
- performing, by the interface, a write operation or an erase operation corresponding to the command to write data to the at least one memory cell of the certain sector or to the command to erase said certain sector, respectively;
- associating, by the interface, a certain memory cell of a register of the microcontroller with the certain sector of the plurality of sectors, wherein the register of the microcontroller is a dedicated portion of the non-volatile memory that is not integrated into the matrix of memory cells and wherein the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller is a single bit of the register of the microcontroller associated with a respective sector of the plurality of sectors;
- writing, by the interface, information representative of a non-blank state or blank state, respectively, of the memory cells of the certain sector, to the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller, wherein the writing information representative of the non-blank state or blank state, respectively, of the memory cells of the certain sector, to the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller is performed at the same time as performing the write operation or the erase operation;
- and
- reading, by the interface, corresponding certain memory cells of the register of the microcontroller which are respectively associated with the plurality of sectors of the memory, using a binary mask, wherein the reading corresponding certain memory cells of the register of the microcontroller comprises reading in combination with using the binary mask, the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller that is associated with the respective sector of the plurality of sectors.
A non-volatile memory configured to store data which can be written, read, and erased by a processor of a microcontroller, said non-volatile memory comprising a matrix of memory cells and a controller, said matrix of memory cells being organized into a plurality of sectors each comprising a plurality of memory cells, and said controller comprising an interface configured to:
- receive a command to write data to at least one memory cell of a certain sector of the matrix of memory cells, or a command to erase said certain sector;
- perform a write operation or an erase operation corresponding to the command to write data to the at least one memory cell of the certain sector or to the command to erase said certain sector, respectively;
- associate a certain memory cell of a register of the microcontroller with the certain sector of the plurality of sectors, wherein the register of the microcontroller is a dedicated portion of the non-volatile memory that is not integrated into the matrix of memory cells and wherein the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller is a single bit of the register of the microcontroller associated with a respective sector of the plurality of sectors;
- write information representative of a non-blank state or blank state, respectively, of the memory cells of the certain sector, to the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller, wherein the writing information representative of the non-blank state or blank state, respectively, of the memory cells of the certain sector, to the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller is performed at the same time as performing the write operation or the erase operation;
- and
- read corresponding certain memory cells of the register of the microcontroller which are respectively associated with the plurality of sectors of the memory, using a binary mask, wherein reading the corresponding certain memory cells of the register of the microcontroller comprises reading in combination with using the binary mask, the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller that is associated with the respective sector of the plurality of sectors.
A microcontroller comprising a processor, at least one input/output interface and a non-volatile memory configured to store data and exchange data with the processor via a computer bus, said non-volatile memory comprising a matrix of memory cells and a controller, said matrix of memory cells comprising a plurality of sectors respectively composed of a plurality of memory cells, and said controller comprising an interface configured to:
- receive a command to write data to at least one memory cell of a certain sector of the matrix of memory cells, or a command to erase said certain sector;
- perform a write operation or an erase operation corresponding to the command to write data to the at least one memory cell of the certain sector or to the command to erase said certain sector, respectively;
- associate a certain memory cell of a register of the microcontroller with the certain sector of the plurality of sectors, wherein the register of the microcontroller is a dedicated portion of the non-volatile memory that is not integrated into the matrix of memory cells and wherein the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller is a single bit of the register of the microcontroller associated with a respective sector of the plurality of sectors;
- write information representative of a non-blank state or blank state, respectively, of the memory cells of the certain sector, to the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller, wherein the writing information representative of the non-blank state or blank state, respectively, of the memory cells of the certain sector, to the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller is performed at the same time as performing the write operation or the erase operation;
- and
- read corresponding certain memory cells of the register of the microcontroller which are respectively associated with the plurality of sectors of the memory, using a binary mask, wherein reading the corresponding certain memory cells of the register of the microcontroller comprises reading in combination with using the binary mask, the certain memory cell of the register of the microcontroller that is associated with the respective sector of the plurality of sectors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.