# US 2014/0156914 A1 · Blind and decision directed multi-level channel estimation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0156914 A1 - Document ID: US20140156914A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/086,874 - Filed: 2013-11-21 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2008-04-09 - Assignees: SK hynix memory solutions inc. - Applicants: SK hynix memory solutions inc. - Inventors: Marcus Marrow; Jason Bellorado; Rajiv Agarwal - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156914A1 ## CPC - G06F 12/0246: {in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory} - G06F 12/00: Accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures (digital input from, or digital output to record carriers, e.g. to disk storage units, G06F3/06) - G06F 12/08: in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems - G11C 11/5642: {Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits} - G11C 16/26: Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits - G11C 29/026: {in sense amplifiers} - G11C 29/028: {with adaption or trimming of parameters} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B) ## Abstract Data which is read back from a multi-level storage device is received. For each bin in a set of bins, a portion of reads which fall into that particular bin and which are to be maintained is received. The set of bins is adjusted so that the read-back data, after assignment using the adjusted set of bins, matches the received portions of reads which are to be maintained. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a multi-level storage device; and a blind channel estimator configured to: receive data which is read back from the multi-level storage device; for each bin in a set of bins, receive a portion of reads which fall into that particular bin and which are to be maintained; and adjust the set of bins so that the read-back data, after assignment using the adjusted set of bins, matches the received portions of reads which are to be maintained. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-level storage device includes Flash storage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-level storage device includes NAND Flash storage. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising a channel corrector which is configured to use the adjusted set of bins to perform channel correction on the read-back data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising a decision directed channel estimator which is configured to: receive the read-back data from the multi-level storage device; receive the adjusted set of bins from the blind channel estimator, wherein a set of decision criteria includes the adjusted set of bins; make a decision on the read-back data using the set of decision criteria, wherein the decision falls into one of the decision criteria from the set of decision criteria; and adjust the decision criterion which the decision falls into so that after adjustment the decision criterion is more centered about the read-back data compared to before adjustment in order to produce a set of adjusted decision criteria. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5 further comprising a channel corrector which is configured to use the adjusted set of decision criteria to perform channel correction on the read-back data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising a reference cell based channel estimator which is configured to: receive reference cell data from the multi-level storage device, wherein the reference cell data includes known data; receive the adjusted set of bins from the blind channel estimator; and further adjust the adjusted set of bins using the known data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7 further comprising a decision directed channel estimator which is configured to: receive the read-back data from the multi-level storage device; receive the further adjusted set of bins from the reference cell based channel estimator, wherein a set of decision criteria includes the adjusted set of bins; make a decision on the read-back data using the set of decision criteria, wherein the decision falls into one of the decision criteria from the set of decision criteria; and adjust the decision criterion which the decision falls into so that after adjustment the decision criterion is more centered about the read-back data compared to before adjustment in order to produce a set of adjusted decision criteria. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 further comprising a channel corrector which is configured to use the adjusted set of decision criteria to perform channel correction on the read-back data. ### Claim 10 A method, comprising: receiving data which is read back from a multi-level storage device; for each bin in a set of bins, receiving a portion of reads which fall into that particular bin and which are to be maintained; and using a processor to adjust the set of bins so that the read-back data, after assignment using the adjusted set of bins, matches the received portions of reads which are to be maintained. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further comprising using the processor to perform channel correction on the read-back data using the adjusted set of bins. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further comprising using the processor to perform decision directed channel estimation, including by: receiving the read-back data from the multi-level storage device; receiving the adjusted set of bins from a blind channel estimator, wherein a set of decision criteria includes the adjusted set of bins; making a decision on the read-back data using the set of decision criteria, wherein the decision falls into one of the decision criteria from the set of decision criteria; and adjusting the decision criterion which the decision falls into so that after adjustment the decision criterion is more centered about the read-back data compared to before adjustment in order to produce a set of adjusted decision criteria. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising using the processor to perform channel correction on the read-back data using the adjusted set of decision criteria. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further comprising using the processor to perform reference cell based channel estimation, including by: receiving reference cell data from the multi-level storage device, wherein the reference cell data includes known data; receiving the adjusted set of bins from a blind channel estimator; and further adjusting the adjusted set of bins using the known data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 further comprising using the processor to perform decision directed channel estimation, including by: receiving the read-back data from the multi-level storage device; receiving the further adjusted set of bins from the reference cell based channel estimation, wherein a set of decision criteria includes the adjusted set of bins; making a decision on the read-back data using the set of decision criteria, wherein the decision falls into one of the decision criteria from the set of decision criteria; and adjusting the decision criterion which the decision falls into so that after adjustment the decision criterion is more centered about the read-back data compared to before adjustment in order to produce a set of adjusted decision criteria. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 further comprising using the processor to perform channel correction on the read-back data using the adjusted set of decision criteria. ### Claim 17 A system, comprising: a multi-level storage device; and a decision directed channel estimator configured to: receive data which is read back from the multi-level storage device; make a decision on the read-back data using a set of decision criteria, wherein the decision falls into one of the decision criteria from the set of decision criteria; and adjust the decision criterion which the decision falls into so that after adjustment the decision criterion is more centered about the read-back data compared to before adjustment in order to produce a set of adjusted decision criteria. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the multi-level storage device includes Flash storage. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the multi-level storage device includes NAND Flash storage. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17 further comprising a channel corrector which is configured to use the adjusted set of decision criteria to perform channel correction on the read-back data. ### Claim 21 A method, comprising: receiving data which is read back from a multi-level storage device; using a processor to make a decision on the read-back data using a set of decision criteria, wherein the decision falls into one of the decision criteria from the set of decision criteria; and using the processor to adjust the decision criterion which the decision falls into such that after adjustment the decision criterion is more centered about the read-back data compared to before adjustment.