Back to results
US 2010/0306448 A1Published application
Cache auto-flush in a solid state memory device
AssigneeSpansion LLC
InventorsRichard Chen, Rex Hsueh, Ping Hou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device, system and method in which data in a write cache, that must at some point be written to non-volatile memory, is written to non-volatile memory after expiration of a threshold time period during which no new host commands are received. If either the last dirty entry is written back or a host command is received during the write-back process, the time threshold time period and auto-flush process is restarted.
Claims20
A solid state memory device comprising:
- a solid state non-volatile memory array;
- a cache coupled to the non-volatile memory array;
- and
- a processor arranged to control the writing of data from the cache to the non-volatile memory array and operative to enable actions including:
- starting a threshold time period when the cache contains dirty data;
- re-starting the threshold time period on receipt of one of a plurality of host commands;
- writing the dirty data to the non-volatile memory array on expiration of the threshold time period;
- and
- terminating the writing of dirty data to the non-volatile memory array and re-starting the threshold time period when the cache contains dirty data either on receipt of one of the plurality of host commands or after a last set of dirty data from the cache is written to the non-volatile memory.
6 more elements
A method for managing caching comprising:
- determining that a memory cache contains dirty data;
- starting a threshold time period when the memory cache contains dirty data;
- re-starting the threshold time period on receiving a host command of a plurality of host commands;
- writing the dirty data from the memory cache to a solid state non-volatile memory array on expiration of the threshold time period;
- and
- terminating the writing of dirty data from the memory cache to the solid state non-volatile memory array and re-starting the threshold time period when the cache contains dirty data either on receipt of a host command of the plurality of host commands or after a last set of dirty data from the cache is written to the solid state non-volatile memory.
3 more elements
A solid state drive comprising:
- a host interface;
- a solid state non-volatile memory array;
- a cache coupled to the host interface and the non-volatile memory array;
- and
- a processor for controlling the writing of data from the cache to the non-volatile memory array and operative to enable actions including:
- starting a threshold time period when the cache contains dirty data;
- re-starting the threshold time period on receipt of one of a plurality of host commands;
- writing the dirty data to the non-volatile memory array on expiration of the threshold time period;
- and
- terminating the writing of dirty data to the non-volatile memory array and re-starting the threshold time period either on receipt of one of the plurality of host commands or after a last set of dirty data from the cache is written to the non-volatile memory.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.