Method for operating a non volatile memory of an electronic device and the electronic device implementing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10318184-B2
Application number	US-201615153633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2016
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of operating a non-volatile memory and an electronic device adapted to the method. When the possibility that power will be cut off in the electronic device is low or almost zero, the provision operation (e.g., an LSB backup) is interrupted which is capable of preventing data from being erased against a situation where the power is cut off. The method of managing a storage device includes: transferring an initialization command to a non-volatile memory functionally connected to a storage device; transferring a command for interrupting or executing an LSB backup to the storage device controller included in the non-volatile memory; and interrupting or executing, by the storage device controller, the LSB backup according to the LSB backup interrupt or execute command. Other modifications are provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a non-volatile memory including:
a Least Significant Bit (LSB) backup module configured to prevent data from being erased, and
a storage device controller configured to control an LSB backup of the LSB backup module;
a battery; and
a processor configured to:
transfer a boot time initialization command to the non-volatile memory,
identify whether the battery is a non-removable battery, and
transfer a command for interrupting an LSB backup to the storage device controller, when the battery is the non-removable battery.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
perform a determination of whether the LSB backup is required; and
transfer, based on a result of the determination, the command for interrupting or executing the LSB backup to the storage device controller.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the LSB backup is required based on at least one of the following:
a process of transmission/reception of a threshold amount of data,
a process of processing particular data at a threshold speed, and
a remaining battery capacity of the electronic device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
check for a possibility that the electronic device is to be powered off, and
upon ascertaining that there is no possibility that the electronic device is to be powered off, interrupt the LSB backup for the non-volatile memory.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine whether the electronic device is equipped with a removable battery type; and
ascertain that there is no possibility that the electronic device is to be powered off based on a determination that the electronic device is equipped with the non-removable battery.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine a type of battery equipped within the electronic device based on a code value stored in the non-volatile memory.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
measure a value sensed by a sensor module equipped within the electronic device;
perform a comparison of the sensed value with a threshold value stored in the non-volatile memory; and
ascertain that there is no possibility that the electronic device is to be powered off based on the comparison of the sensed value with the threshold value.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to transfer the command for interrupting an LSB backup to the storage device controller as a request, in response to the boot time initialization command.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to control the storage device controller by using at least one of the following:
a process of storing information setting a condition as to whether the LSB backup is required;
a process of altering a voltage applied to an LSB backup circuit; or
a process of cutting off power supplied to the LSB backup circuit.

10. A method of managing a storage device for an electronic device, the method comprising:
transferring a boot time initialization command to a non-volatile memory functionally connected to the storage device;
identifying whether a battery of the electronic device is a non-removable battery; and
transferring a command for interrupting an LSB backup to a storage device controller, when the battery is the non-removable battery.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining whether the LSB backup is required; and
transferring, based on a result of the determination, the command for interrupting or executing the LSB backup to the non-volatile memory.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining whether the LSB backup is required is performed based on at least one of the following:
a process of transmission/reception of a threshold amount of data,
a process of processing particular data at a threshold speed, and
a remaining battery capacity of an electronic device associated with the storage device.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
checking for a possibility the electronic device is to be powered off; and
upon ascertaining that there is no possibility that the electronic device is to be powered off, interrupting the LSB backup for the non-volatile memory.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein checking the possibility to be powered off in an electronic device comprises:
determining whether the electronic device is equipped with a battery of a non-removable type or a removable type; and
ascertaining that there is no possibility that the electronic device is to be powered off based on a determination that the electronic device is equipped with the non-removable battery.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining whether the electronic device is equipped with the battery of the non-removable type or the removable type comprises:
checking the type of battery equipped within the electronic device based on a code value stored in the non-volatile memory.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein checking the possibility that the electronic device is to be powered off comprises:
measuring a value sensed by a sensor module equipped within the electronic device;
performing a comparison of the sensed value with a threshold value stored in the non-volatile memory; and
ascertaining that there is no possibility that the electronic device is to be powered off based on the comparison of the sensed value with the threshold value.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
transferring a command for interrupting the LSB backup to the storage device controller as a request, in response to the boot time initialization command.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein interrupting the LSB backup by the storage device controller comprises:
controlling the storage device controller by using at least one of the following:
a process of storing information setting a condition as to whether the LSB backup is required;
a process of altering a voltage applied to an LSB backup circuit; or
a process of cutting off power supplied to the LSB backup circuit.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the LSB backup comprises:
storing, by the storage device controller, data stored in a flash memory in a temporary storage space; and
moving the data from the temporary storage space to the non-volatile memory.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising computer readable program code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:
transfer a boot time initialization command to a non-volatile memory functionally connected to a storage device;
identify whether a battery is a non-removable battery; and
transfer a command for interrupting an LSB backup to a storage device controller, when the battery is the non-removable battery.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Woosung
• Song Inhwan

Classifications

• G11C16/22

  Safety or protection circuits preventing unauthorised or accidental access to memory cells · CPC title

• G06F1/3287

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title

• G06F13/24 Primary

  using interrupt (G06F13/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11C5/141

  Battery and back-up supplies · CPC title

• G06F3/0647

  Migration mechanisms · CPC title