Patent · US Expired

Flash memory system and method implementing LBA to PBA correlation within flash memory array

US6772274B1 · kind B1 · utility

219Cited by
98References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 13, 2000
Grant dateAug 3, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 2, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/0246
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A flash memory system is designed to reduce inefficiencies associated with keeping track of logical block address (LBA) to physical block address (PBA) correlation or mappmg—each logical block address generated by a host digital system and associated with data when the data is sent to be stored in the flash memory system by the host digital system. The flash memory system preferably comprises at least one flash memory device having a flash memory array, the flash memory array including a plurality, of blocks for storing data and for storing (LBA to PBA) correlation, each block having a plurality of sectors, and a controller coupled to each flash memory device, the controller including a new space manager. By removing from the space manager the task of tracking correlation between the LBA and the PBA, considerable savings in manufacturing costs and logic circuit area on an integrated circuit are achieved and design flexibility attained. The new space manager continues to keep track of the flags associated with the blocks in the flash memory system. However, sufficient blocks are specifically reserved for keeping track of the (LBA to PBA) correlation of the data stored in the f…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.