Method of rewriting program in a flash microcomputer
AssigneeNEC Electronics Corporation
InventorShuji Takahashi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of rewriting a boot program into a memory device including at least first and second memory blocks to which a boot program can be electrically written and from which a boot program can be electrically erased, includes the steps of (a) erasing data stored in the second memory block to which a new boot program is to be written, (b) writing a new boot program into the second memory block, (c) changing an address of the second memory block such that the second memory block can be recognized as the new primary boot block, (d) erasing an existing boot program from the first memory block, and leaving the second memory block as the primary boot block until a further new boot program is written into the memory device.
Claims12
A method of writing a new boot program into a memory device having first and second memory blocks into which a boot program can be written and from which a boot program can be read, the first memory block being identified as a primary boot block storing an existing boot program and the second memory block being a secondary block storing other information, the method comprising the steps of:
- erasing the second memory block;
- writing the new boot program into the erased second memory block;
- after writing the new boot program, changing an identity of the primary boot block from the first memory block to the second memory block;
- erasing the first memory block;
- storing other information in the first memory block;
- retaining the identity of the primary boot block as the second memory block until a further new boot program is written into the memory device;
- and
- wherein the step changing an identity of the primary boot block comprises the steps of storing in a storage area associated with the first memory block first program data indicating that the first memory block stores an existing boot program, storing in a storage area associated with the second memory block second program data different from the first program data indicating that the second memory block stores a new boot program, and exchanging addresses of the second memory block and the first memory block.
A recording medium readable by a computer and storing a program for causing a computer to perform a method of writing a new boot program into a memory device having first and second memory blocks into which a boot program can be written and from a boot program can be read, the first memory block being identified as a primary boot block storing an existing boot program and the second memory block being a secondary block storing other information, the method comprising the steps of:
- erasing the second memory block;
- writing the new boot program into the erased second memory block;
- after writing the new boot program, changing an identity of the primary boot block from the first memory block to the second memory block;
- erasing the first memory block;
- storing other information in the first memory block;
- and
- retaining the identity of the primary boot block as the second memory block until a further new boot program is written into the memory device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.