Patents Assigned to IN Motion, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20240184484
    Abstract: A flash memory controller is arranged to access a flash memory module, and includes a transmission interface circuit, a buffer memory, and a microprocessor. The transmission interface circuit is coupled to a host device, wherein the transmission interface circuit includes a command processing circuit, the command processing circuit is arranged to receive a command from the host device and convert the command to generate a converted command of a specific format, the command supports multiple formats, and the specific format is different from the multiple formats. The buffer memory is arranged to store the converted command. The microprocessor is arranged to read the converted command from the buffer memory, and access the flash memory module according to the converted command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2023
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Ming-Yu Tsai
  • Publication number: 20240184485
    Abstract: A flash memory controller is arranged to access a flash memory module, and includes a transmission interface circuit a buffer memory, and a microprocessor. The transmission interface circuit is coupled to a host device, wherein the transmission interface circuit includes a command processing circuit, and the command processing circuit is arranged to: receive a command from the host device; utilize multiple check items to check the command to generate at least one check result; and convert the command to generate a converted command of a specific format, wherein the converted command comprises an error state field for recording the at least one check result. The buffer memory is arranged to store the converted command. The microprocessor is arranged to read the converted command from the buffer memory, and access the flash memory module according to the converted command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2023
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Ming-Yu Tsai
  • Publication number: 20240176734
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for searching for logical address ranges of host commands. The first comparator outputs logic “0” to the NOR gate when a first end logical address is not smaller than a second start logical address. The second comparator outputs logic “0” to the NOR gate when a second end logical address is not smaller than a first start logical address. The NOR gate outputs logic “1” to a matching register and an output circuitry when receiving logic “0” from both the first and the second comparators. The output circuitry outputs a memory address of a random access memory (RAM) storing a second logical address range from the second start logical address to the second end logical address to a resulting address register when receiving logic “1” from the NOR gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Publication date: May 30, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Chun-Yu CHEN
  • Publication number: 20240177777
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and an apparatus for executing host commands. The method performed by a processing unit includes: setting a first start register and a first end register to store a first logical address range from a first start logical address to a first end logical address for an execution of a host command; providing a sequential update queue including multiple entries; setting an activation register to drive a search engine; checking values of a matching register and a resulting address register of the search engine to determine whether a whole or a portion of data of the first logical address range is temporarily stored in the RAM after a time period; and if so, manipulating the whole or a portion of data of the first logical address range that is temporarily stored in the RAM.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Publication date: May 30, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Shen-Ting CHIU
  • Publication number: 20240176517
    Abstract: A control method of a memory device includes: controlling a flash memory controller to transmit a command to a flash memory module; determining whether the flash memory controller is in an idle state; in response to the flash memory controller being in the idle state, determining whether an idle time of the idle state exceeds a threshold value, wherein the threshold value is less than a time required for the flash memory module to complete executing a write command or an erase command; and in response to the idle time exceeding the threshold value, controlling the flash memory controller to enter a power saving mode to turn off a part of components in the flash memory controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2023
    Publication date: May 30, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Wen-Sheng Lin
  • Patent number: 11995224
    Abstract: A memory controller coupled to a memory device and configured to control access operations of the memory device includes a data protection engine and a microprocessor. The data protection engine is configured to generate protection information according to data received from a host device. The microprocessor is configured to detect a status of the memory device in response to one or more write operations for writing the data to the memory device, determine whether a portion of the data has to be excluded when generating the protection information corresponding to the data according to the status and accordingly generate a determination result, and store the protection information and the determination result together in the memory device. The determination result indicates which portion of the data is utilized to generate the protection information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Shen-Ting Chiu
  • Patent number: 11994985
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing access management of a memory device in a Host Performance Booster (HPB) architecture with aid of device side table information encoding and decoding are provided. The method may include: encoding internal information of the memory device and sending encoded result thereof to a host device, to allow the host device to store the encoded result in a memory within the host device as host-owned encoded device side table information at the host device; generating and storing multiple entries of address mapping control table into a RAM as at least one portion of device side table information at the memory device; decoding partial information of the host-owned encoded device side table information, performing checking operation on decoded result thereof, and selectively using the decoded result to determine physical address associated with logical address; and reading data from the NV memory according to the physical address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Yu-Chih Lin
  • Patent number: 11995349
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing access management of a memory device in a Host Performance Booster (HPB) architecture with aid of device side table information encoding and decoding are provided. The method may include: encoding internal information of the memory device and sending encoded result thereof to a host device, to allow the host device to store the encoded result in a memory within the host device as host-owned encoded device side table information at the host device; generating and storing multiple entries of address mapping control table into a RAM as at least one portion of device side table information at the memory device; decoding partial information of the host-owned encoded device side table information, performing checking operation on decoded result thereof, and selectively using the decoded result to determine physical address associated with logical address; and reading data from the NV memory according to the physical address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Yu-Chih Lin
  • Patent number: 11990160
    Abstract: A sensor event detection system including a motion capture element and another sensor. The sensor captures values associated with an orientation, position, velocity and acceleration and recognizes an event within the data to determine event data. Uses other values associated with a temperature, humidity, wind and elevation, i.e., environmental and physiological sensors and correlates the data or event data with the other values to determine a type of event or true event or a false positive event, or a type of equipment the motion capture element is coupled with, or a type of activity indicated by the data or event data and transmits the data or event data associated with the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: BLAST MOTION INC.
    Inventors: Bhaskar Bose, Michael Bentley, Ryan Kaps
  • Publication number: 20240152347
    Abstract: A data storage device includes a memory device and a memory controller. The memory controller executes a first firmware, sets a value of a lock indicator to a first value in the first firmware, and sequentially receive a first firmware update command and a second firmware update command. In response to the first firmware update command, the memory controller receives file of a second firmware. When determining that a version number of the second firmware is set to a specific version number, the memory controller sets the value of the lock indicator to a second value. In response to the second firmware update command, the memory controller receives a file of a third firmware. When the value of the lock indicator is set to the second value, the memory controller performs a firmware update procedure to the first firmware with the third firmware.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2023
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Te-Kai Wang
  • Publication number: 20240152516
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for executing Structural Query Language (SQL) instructions in a Solid-state Storage Device (SSD). The apparatus includes: a processing unit; and a database accelerator. The processing unit is arranged operably to obtain an SQL query from a host side. The database accelerator is arranged operably to parse the SQL query according an SQL syntax tree to generate a series of table tasks to execute; and during the execution of the table tasks, read tables from a flash module through the processing unit, generate intermediate tables and sub-tables based on the read tables, and perform an arithmetic computation, a logical computation or both on a specific field in one intermediate table to generate a final dataset. The processing unit is arranged operably to reply to the host side with the final dataset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2023
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo-Cheng LAI, Yen-Shi KUO
  • Publication number: 20240154624
    Abstract: A flash memory storage management method includes: providing a flash memory module including single-level-cell (SLC) blocks and at least one multiple-level-cell block such as MLC block, TLC block, or QLC block; classifying data to be programmed into groups of data; respectively executing SLC programing and RAID-like error code encoding to generate corresponding parity check codes, to program the groups of data and corresponding parity check codes to the SLC blocks; when completing program of the SLC blocks, performing an internal copy to program the at least one multiple-level-cell block by sequentially reading and writing the groups of data and corresponding parity check codes from the SLC blocks to the multiple-level-cell block according to a storage order of the SLC blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2024
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsung-Chieh Yang, Hong-Jung Hsu
  • Publication number: 20240152288
    Abstract: A flash memory controller for controlling a flash memory module includes a communication interface for receiving a first data and a second data; and a processing circuit for dynamically controlling a data writing mode of the flash memory module according to an amount of stored data in the flash memory module. If the amount of stored data in the flash memory module is less than a first threshold when the communication interface receives the first data, the processing circuit controls the flash memory module so that the first data is written into the first data block under an one-bit-per-cell mode. If the amount of stored data in the flash memory module is greater than the first threshold when the communication interface receives the second data, the processing circuit controls the flash memory module so that the second data is written into the second data block under a two-bit-per-cell mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2024
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsung-Chieh Yang, Chun-Chieh Kuo, Ching-Hui Lin, Yang-Chih Shen
  • Publication number: 20240152348
    Abstract: A data storage device includes a memory device and a memory controller. The memory controller executes a first firmware, sets a value of a lock indicator to a first value and receives a first firmware update command in the first firmware. In response to the first firmware update command, the memory controller receives a file of a second firmware. When a version number of the second firmware is a specific version number, the memory controller sets the value of the lock indicator to a second value. When the version number of the second firmware is not a specific version number, the memory controller performs an unlocked firmware update procedure when the value of the lock indicator is set to the second value, and performs a locked firmware update procedure when the value of the lock indicator is not set to the second value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2023
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Te-Kai Wang
  • Patent number: 11977776
    Abstract: A flash memory device is disclosed. The memory cell array has a first plane and a second plane and stores a first data unit and a second data unit. The data register buffers the first data unit and the second data unit transmitted from the memory cell array when a read command or a data toggle command is received and stored by the command register. The control circuit performs a data toggle operation to control the data register selecting and transferring the first data unit and the second data unit to the I/O control circuit to make the I/O control circuit sequentially transmit the first data unit and the second data unit to the flash memory controller through a specific communication interface in response to the read command or the data toggle command. The transmission of the first data unit is followed by the transmission of the second data unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsu-Han Lu, Hsiao-Chang Yen
  • Patent number: 11977767
    Abstract: A method of caching mapping table for use in a flash memory device having a flash memory controller and a flash memory is provided. The method includes: in response to a host read command, determining whether a group of a logical-to-physical (L2P) required by handling the host read command has been loaded to a DRAM of the flash memory controller; if the required group of the L2P mapping table has not been loaded to the DRAM, loading the required group of the L2P mapping table from the flash memory to a SRAM of the flash memory controller; directly accessing the SRAM to obtain an L2P address associated with the host read command from the required group of the L2P mapping table; and performing a read operation on the flash memory in response to the host read command according to the obtained L2P address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Yi-Kai Pai
  • Patent number: 11977783
    Abstract: A method for performing data access control of a memory device with aid of a predetermined command and associated apparatus are provided. The method may include: utilizing the memory controller to receive a first single command from a host device through a transmission interface circuit of the memory controller; and in response to the first single command conforming to a predetermined format of the predetermined command, utilizing the memory controller to perform a series of operations according to the first single command, wherein the first single command represents a first duplicate command, for duplicating from a first source logical address to a first destination logical address. The series of operations may include: reading first data at the first source logical address; and writing the first data at the first destination logical address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Tzu-Yi Yang
  • Patent number: 11977752
    Abstract: A method of a flash memory controller includes: providing an input/output (I/O) circuit coupled to the flash memory device; and sending a data toggle set-feature signal to the flash memory device to enable, disable, or configure a data toggle operation of the flash memory device; the data toggle operation of the flash memory device is arranged to make the flash memory device control the flash memory device's data register selecting and transferring a first data unit and a second data unit to the flash memory device's I/O control circuit to make the I/O control circuit sequentially transmit the first data unit and the second data unit to the flash memory controller through the specific communication interface in response to a specific read command or a data toggle command transmitted by the flash memory controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsu-Han Lu, Hsiao-Chang Yen
  • Patent number: 11977500
    Abstract: The invention introduces a method for executing host input-output (IO) commands, performed by a processing unit of a device side, at least including: in response to different types of host IO commands, using multiple stages of a generic framework to drive a frontend interface to interact with a host side for transmitting user data read from a storage unit to the host side, and receiving user data to be programmed into the storage unit from the host side. The frontend interface includes a register, and a data line coupled to the host side. The stages of the generic framework are used to access to the register of the frontend interface and operate the data line of the frontend interface to complete interactions with the host side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: SILICON MOTION, INC.
    Inventor: Shen-Ting Chiu
  • Publication number: 20240143226
    Abstract: A data storage device includes a memory device and a memory controller. The memory device includes multiple predetermined memory blocks that are configured as a buffer for receiving data from a host device. The memory controller performs a write operation in response to a write command, and during the write operation, the memory controller maintains a first quantity count value for counting a number of the predetermined memory block(s) that has/have been written with data, determine a number of the predetermined memory block(s) which is/are released in response to the write operation and maintains a second quantity count value based on this number. After the write operation, the memory controller performs a garbage collection and updates the first quantity count value based on the second quantity count value when determining that the host device has requested to perform a flush operation on the predetermined memory blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2023
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Applicant: Silicon Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Po-Lin Wu