Patent · US Expired

Tracking the least frequently erased blocks in non-volatile memory systems

US7096313B1 · kind B1 · utility

78Cited by
37References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 28, 2002
Grant dateAug 22, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 2, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2212/7211
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for performing wear leveling in a non-volatile memory system are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, one method for processing elements included in a non-volatile memory of a memory system includes obtaining erase counts associated with elements and grouping a number of the elements into a first set. Each element has an associated erase count that substantially indicates a number of times the element has been erased. Grouping the number of elements into the first set includes selecting elements included in the plurality of elements which have the lowest associated erase counts of the erase counts associated with the plurality of elements. The method also includes storing the erase counts associated with the first set in a memory component substantially within a table.

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