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US 9,804,785 B2Granted
Nonvolatile memory adaptive to host boot up routine
AssigneeSanDisk Technologies LLC
InventorsInon Cohen, Volodymyr Ivantsiv
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nonvolatile memory that stores boot data from a host learns which data is boot data by monitoring read commands received from a host during a powering up operation. Boot data is then arranged in a manner that makes subsequent reading of the boot data faster when it is accessed during a subsequent powering up operation.
Claims20
A method of operating a nonvolatile memory comprising:
- monitoring a series of read commands received from a host during a first powering up operation to identify data stored in the nonvolatile memory that is used by the host during the first powering up operation;
- determining first physical locations in the nonvolatile memory at which the identified data is stored;
- subsequently, prior to a second powering up operation, consolidating at least some of the identified data from the first physical locations in the nonvolatile memory to second physical locations in the nonvolatile memory to provide the identified data with faster read access time at the second physical locations in the nonvolatile memory than at the first physical locations in the nonvolatile memory, wherein the first physical locations are fragmented locations in the nonvolatile memory that require a first number of read steps to read and the second physical locations are contiguous physical locations in the nonvolatile memory that require a second number of read steps to read, the second number being less than the first number;
- and
- subsequently, during the second powering up operation, accessing the consolidated data at the second physical locations so that the second powering up operation is faster than the first powering up operation.
2 more elements
A nonvolatile memory comprising:
- a flash memory array;
- a host interface;
- a monitoring circuit that is configured to monitor host data read commands received through the host interface during power up operations;
- a data identification circuit that is configured to identify data stored in the nonvolatile memory that is addressed by the host read commands during power up operations;
- and
- a data reconfiguring circuit that is configured to consolidate the data identified by the data identification circuit from a first plurality of physical locations in the flash memory to a second plurality of physical locations in the flash memory for faster read access during subsequent power up operations, wherein the first plurality of physical locations are fragmented locations in the flash memory that require a first number of read steps to read and the second plurality of physical locations are contiguous physical locations in the flash memory that require a second number of read steps to read, the second number being less than the first number.
3 more elements
A method of operating a flash memory comprising:
- monitoring a series of read commands received from a host during a powering up operation to identify boot data stored in the flash memory that is used by the host during the powering up operation;
- determining physical locations in the flash memory at which the boot data is stored;
- and
- subsequently reconfiguring at least some of the boot data to provide reconfigured boot data with faster read access time than unreconfigured boot data, the reconfiguring comprising relocating the at least some of the boot data from one or more Multi Level Cell (MLC) blocks in the flash memory to one or more Single Level Cell (SLC) blocks in the flash memory, wherein the physical locations at which the unreconfigured boot data is stored are fragmented locations that require a first number of read steps to read and the physical locations at which the reconfigured boot data is stored are contiguous physical locations that require a second number of read steps to read, the second number being less than the first number.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.