Storage device and operating method of storage device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9847140-B2
Application number	US-201514885409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2015
Priority date	Nov 24, 2014
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

An operating method of a storage device which includes a nonvolatile memory and a memory controller configured to control the nonvolatile memory, may include tracking a clock signal; entering a vendor mode of the storage device when the clock signal corresponds to a vendor pattern; and maintaining a normal mode of the storage device when the clock signal does not correspond to the vendor pattern, wherein, in the normal mode, a command received from an external host device is executed according to a first rule, and wherein, in the vendor mode, the command received from the external host device is executed according to a second rule different from the first rule.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An operating method of a storage device which includes a nonvolatile memory and a memory controller configured to control the nonvolatile memory, the operating method comprising:
tracking a clock signal;
entering a vendor mode of the storage device when the clock signal corresponds to a vendor pattern; and
maintaining a normal mode of the storage device when the clock signal does not correspond to the vendor pattern,
wherein, in the normal mode, a command received from an external host device is executed according to a first rule, and
wherein, in the vendor mode, the command received from the external host device is executed according to a second rule different from the first rule,
wherein the vendor pattern includes a pattern in which a waveform of the clock signal includes a plurality of different frequencies.

2. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the clock signal is received through a first signal line and the command is received through a second signal line different from the first signal line.

3. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein a storage space, corresponding to an address included in the command, from among a storage space of the nonvolatile memory is accessed in response to the command and according to the first rule.

4. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein an operation indicated by an address included in the command is performed according to the second rule.

5. The operating method of claim 4 , wherein the address indicates at least one of an operation of reading meta data from the nonvolatile memory and an operation of reading information on a state of the storage device.

6. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the vendor pattern includes a pattern in which duration times during which the clock signal maintains respective ones of the plurality of different frequencies are different from each other.

7. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein, in the vendor pattern, duration times during which the clock signal maintains respective ones of the plurality of different frequencies are the same.

8. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the vendor pattern includes a pattern in which the numbers of cycles over which the clock signal maintains respective ones of the plurality of different frequencies are different from each other.

9. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein in the vendor pattern, the numbers of cycles over which the clock signal maintains respective ones of the plurality of different frequencies are the same.

10. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the vendor pattern includes a pattern in which a wave form of the clock signal may include a plurality of different duty ratios.

11. The operating method of claim 10 , wherein the vendor pattern includes a pattern in which duration times during which the clock signal maintains respective ones of the plurality of different duty ratios are different from each other.

12. The operating method of claim 10 , wherein in the vendor pattern, duration times during which the clock signal maintains respective ones of the plurality of difference duty ratios are the same.

13. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the vendor pattern includes a pattern of active and inactive intervals of the clock signal.

14. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the tracking operation is performed in response to a pattern in which a second signal line is driven, the second signal line being a signal line that transfers the command to the storage device.

15. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the tracking operation is performed in response to a pattern in which third signal lines are driven, the third signal lines being signal lines that exchange data between the external host and the storage device.

16. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the tracking of a clock signal is performed while a second signal line for transferring the command is driven with a specific level and third signal lines exchanging data with the external host device are respectively driven with specific levels according to a specific pattern.

17. The operating method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transferring a response signal through a command and response line through which the command is transferred, the response signal indicating that entry of the storage device into the vendor mode is completed.

18. A method comprising:
receiving, at a storage device, a clock signal,
determining a pattern of the clock signal,
receiving, at the storage device, a command for accessing the storage device;
executing the command at the storage device according to a first rule, when the pattern of the clock signal corresponds to a first pattern; and
executing the command at the storage device according to a second rule, when the pattern of the clock signal corresponds to a second pattern,
the first rule and the first pattern being different than the second rule and the second pattern, respectively,
wherein the first pattern includes patterns in which a waveform of the clock signal includes a plurality of different frequencies.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
receiving, at the storage device, one or more tracking time initiation signals; and
receiving, at the storage device, one or more tracking time ending signals,
wherein the determining is performed only during a tracking time, the tracking time beginning in response to the one or more tracking time initiation signals, the tracking time ending in response to the one or more tracking time ending signals.

Assignees

• Bae Hae-Sung
• Lee Taekkyun
• Kim Hyun-Ju
• Kim Hwan-Chung
• Lee Jonghwan
• Jung Young Woo
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Bae Hae-Sung
• Lee Taekkyun
• Kim Hyun-Ju
• Kim Hwan-Chung
• Lee Jonghwan
• Jung Young Woo

Classifications

• G11C29/028 Primary

  with adaption or trimming of parameters · CPC title

• G11C29/023

  in clock generator or timing circuitry · CPC title

• G06F13/1689

  Synchronisation and timing concerns (synchronisation on a memory bus G06F13/4234) · CPC title

• G11C16/32

  Timing circuits · CPC title

• G06F13/14

  Handling requests for interconnection or transfer · CPC title