# US 2021/0334173 A1 · Storage device and method of operating the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0334173 A1 - Document ID: US20210334173A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/062,964 - Filed: 2020-10-05 - Published: 2021-10-28 - Earliest claimed: 2020-04-24 - Assignees: SK hynix Inc. - Applicants: SK hynix Inc. - Inventors: Ji Hoon HWANG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210334173A1 ## CPC - G06F 11/1469: {Backup restoration techniques} - G06F 11/1666: {where the redundant component is memory or memory area} - G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors} - G06F 3/0631: {by allocating resources to storage systems} - G06F 3/064: {Management of blocks} - G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling} - G06F 3/0683: {Plurality of storage devices} - G06F 11/0727: {in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system (drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097)} - G06F 11/073: {in a memory management context, e.g. virtual memory or cache management (memory management G06F12/00; testing of static memory units G11C29/00)} - G06F 11/076: {by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit} - G06F 11/0772: {Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers} - G06F 11/1451: {by selection of backup contents} - G06F 11/1461: {Backup scheduling policy} - G06F 11/3034: {where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based (digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract The present technology relates to an electronic device. A storage device according to the present technology includes a plurality of memory devices and a memory controller. Each of the plurality of memory devices includes a plurality of memory blocks. The memory controller detects a defective memory device among the plurality of memory devices and allocates normal blocks included in the defective memory device to an over-provisioning area used to perform a background operation on the plurality of memory devices. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A storage device, comprising: a plurality of memory devices each including a plurality of memory blocks; and a memory controller configured to detect a defective memory device among the plurality of memory devices and allocate normal blocks included in the defective memory device to an over-provisioning area used to perform a background operation on the plurality of memory devices. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The storage device of claim 1, wherein the memory controller comprises: a storage area manager configured to allocate normal blocks included in each of the plurality of memory devices to a user area storing user data or the over-provisioning area, and detect the defective memory device satisfying a defective condition among the plurality of memory devices; and a background controller configured to perform the background operation on the plurality of memory devices using the normal blocks included in the defective memory device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The storage device of claim 2, wherein the storage area manager comprises: a block information storage configured to store block information related to the plurality of memory blocks included in each of the plurality of memory devices; a bad block detector configured to detect a bad block among the plurality of memory blocks included in each of the plurality of memory devices, and update the block information based on a result of detecting the bad block; and a storage area setting component configured to detect the defective memory device among the plurality of memory devices based on the block information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The storage device of claim 3, wherein the block information includes status information and allocation information, the status information indicating whether a memory block is a normal block or a bad block, the allocation information indicating whether the memory block is allocated to the user area or the over-provisioning area. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The storage device of claim 4, wherein when the defective memory device is detected, the storage area setting component updates allocation information corresponding to the normal blocks included in the defective memory device so that the normal blocks included in the defective memory device are allocated to the over-provisioning area. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The storage device of claim 3, wherein when an error uncorrectable block occurs while performing various operations on the plurality of memory blocks, the bad block detector detects the error uncorrectable block as the bad block. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The storage device of claim 2, wherein the background controller performs a backup operation of storing user data stored in the normal blocks included in the defective memory device in a normal memory device other than the defective memory device among the plurality of memory devices. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The storage device of claim 2, wherein the defective condition is that the number of bad blocks included in a memory device is equal to or greater than a reference number. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The storage device of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of memory devices includes at least one plane, and the defective condition is that the number of bad blocks included in any one of the at least one plane included in the memory device is equal to or greater than a reference number. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The storage device of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of memory devices includes at least one super block and a plurality of planes, and the defective condition is that the number of bad blocks in any one of the at least one super block in the memory device is equal to or greater than a reference number, a super block including a plurality of memory blocks disposed in different planes of the memory device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The storage device of claim 2, wherein the defective condition is determined based on a reference number, and the reference number is preset in a manufacturing stage of the storage device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The storage device of claim 11, wherein the reference number is updated according to a request of a host or a degree at which a lifetime of the storage device is elapsed. ### Claim 13 A method of operating a storage device including a plurality of memory devices each including a plurality of memory blocks, the method comprising: detecting a defective memory device satisfying a defective condition among the plurality of memory devices; and allocating normal blocks included in the defective memory device to an over-provisioning area used to perform a background operation on the plurality of memory devices. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein detecting the defective memory device comprises: detecting a bad block among the plurality of memory blocks included in each of the plurality of memory devices; updating block information related to the plurality of memory blocks included in each of the plurality of memory devices based on a result of detecting the bad block; and detecting the defective memory device among the plurality of memory devices based on the block information related to the plurality of memory blocks. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the block information includes status information and allocation information, the status information indicating whether a memory block is a normal block or a bad block, the allocation information indicating whether the memory block is allocated to a user area or the over-provisioning area, the user area storing user data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the allocating comprises updating allocation information corresponding to the normal blocks included in the defective memory device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: performing a backup operation of storing user data stored in the normal blocks included in the defective memory device in a normal memory device other than the defective memory device among the plurality of memory devices. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the defective condition is that the number of bad blocks included in a memory device is equal to or greater than a reference number. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of memory devices includes at least one plane, and the defective condition is that the number of bad blocks included in any one of the at least one plane included in a memory device is equal to or greater than a reference number. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the defective condition is determined based on a reference number, and the reference number is preset in a manufacturing stage of the storage device and updated according to a request of a host or a degree at which a lifetime of the storage device is elapsed.