Patents by Inventor Hideaki Okubo

Hideaki Okubo has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230004293
    Abstract: An object is to reduce the number of writes of information managed by a controller to a non-volatile memory. A controller according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a first interface unit connected to a non-volatile memory including a plurality of blocks of memory cells that enter into both a first state and a second state and in which a plurality of addresses is allocated to the plurality of blocks; an information holding unit that holds first information; and a control unit that reads first data from a first block of the non-volatile memory via the first interface unit, specifies the memory cell in the second state among the memory cells in the first block and writes second data for causing the specified memory cell in the second state to transition to the first state, and selects one of the first information and the first data on the basis of the address of the first block and writes the selected first information or first data to the first block.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2020
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Inventors: HIDEAKI OKUBO, KENICHI NAKANISHI
  • Publication number: 20210295914
    Abstract: A selector malfunction caused by a drift is prevented in a memory having a cross-point structure. A memory cell array is provided with a data area and a drift reference cell. An accumulated drift amount acquisition unit acquires an accumulated drift amount of the drift reference cell. A total drift amount reading unit reads a total drift amount stored in the data area. A refresh control unit adds the accumulated drift amount to the total drift amount to update the total drift amount as a new total drift amount. Further, the refresh control unit refreshes the data area of the memory cell array in a case where the new total drift amount exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventors: KEN ISHII, KENICHI NAKANISHI, HIDEAKI OKUBO, YOSHIYUKI SHIBAHARA, HARUHIKO TERADA
  • Publication number: 20210257024
    Abstract: To eliminate drift that is generated in a memory cell and continue use of the memory cell. A storage control device controls a memory cell array in which each bit is in any one of first or second states. The storage control device includes a detection unit and a control unit. The detection unit detects a transition bit that should be in the first state but is in the second state in the memory cell array. The control unit performs control to supply, to the transition bit, a drift refresh voltage higher than a read voltage required for reading from the memory cell array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Inventors: HIDEAKI OKUBO, KENICHI NAKANISHI
  • Patent number: 11023381
    Abstract: An object is to suppress a process of evicting cached data so as to improve a throughput of an entire system. A storage controller includes an access request section and an operation management section. The access request section requests access to a first storage and to a second storage that is higher in response speed than the first storage, the second storage storing part of data stored in the first storage. The operation management section manages, based on a usage state of the second storage, whether or not to transfer from the first storage to the second storage data targeted for access but not stored in the second storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Teruya Kaneda, Kenichi Nakanishi, Hideaki Okubo
  • Publication number: 20210055880
    Abstract: Even data mapped to discrete physical addresses of a volatile memory is saved in a non-volatile memory. A memory management information registration unit registers, as an entry of memory management information, a physical address of a first memory that is volatile memory and an address of a second memory that is a non-volatile memory, in association for every management unit. A control unit saves data from the first memory into the second memory in accordance with the memory management information in response to a save request, and restores data from the second memory into the first memory in accordance with the memory management information in response to a restore request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Ken Ishii, Kenichi Nakanish, Hideaki Okubo, Teruya Kaneda
  • Publication number: 20200301843
    Abstract: Memory devices having different parallel accessible data sizes and different access speeds are caused to work efficiently as a cache memory. A memory access device accesses first and second memory devices that respectively include a plurality of parallel accessible memories and have different parallel accessible data sizes and different access speeds. The memory access device includes a management information storage unit and an access control unit. The management information storage unit stores management information as associating each corresponding management unit of the first and second memory devices. The access control unit accesses one of the first and second memory devices on the basis of the management information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: HIDEAKI OKUBO, KENICHI NAKANISHI, TERUYA KANEDA
  • Publication number: 20200117601
    Abstract: An object is to suppress a process of evicting cached data so as to improve a throughput of an entire system. A storage controller includes an access request section and an operation management section. The access request section requests access to a first storage and to a second storage that is higher in response speed than the first storage, the second storage storing part of data stored in the first storage. The operation management section manages, based on a usage state of the second storage, whether or not to transfer from the first storage to the second storage data targeted for access but not stored in the second storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: TERUYA KANEDA, KENICHI NAKANISHI, HIDEAKI OKUBO
  • Patent number: 10545804
    Abstract: [Object] To sufficiently reduce frequency of error occurrence in memory cells. [Solution] A reading unit reads read data from a memory cell, the read data including an information bit and reversal information for determining whether or not the information bit has been reversed. In addition, an error detection/correction unit detects the presence or absence of an error in the information bit and corrects the error. A data reversing unit reverses the information bit that has the error corrected and the reversal information. Furthermore, a writing unit writes the reversed information bit and the reversed reversal information in the memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuo Shinbashi, Keiichi Tsutsui, Hideaki Okubo, Lui Sakai, Kenichi Nakanishi, Yasushi Fujinami
  • Patent number: 10540275
    Abstract: To secure flexibility of the memory extension area which is secured on the memory of the host computer and used by the memory controller. [Solution] A controller memory stores data corresponding to an area allocated to a memory in a memory controller configured to control the memory. An access control unit allocates a partial area of the controller memory to a host memory in a host computer and uses the areas as a memory extension area. The extension area managing unit performs management so that a size of the memory extension area in the host memory is changeable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hideaki Okubo, Kenichi Nakanishi, Yasushi Fujinami
  • Patent number: 10481971
    Abstract: A data holding characteristic of a memory cell is improved in a memory system in which data is encoded and written to a memory cell. A first candidate parity generation unit generates, as a first candidate parity, a parity for detecting an error in an information section in which a predetermined value is assigned in a predetermined variable area. A second candidate parity generation unit generates, as a second candidate parity, a parity for detecting an error in the information section in which a value different from the predetermined value is assigned in the predetermined variable area. A selection unit selects a parity that satisfies a predetermined condition from among the first and second candidate parities as a selection parity. An output unit outputs a codeword constituted by the information section corresponding to the selection parity and the selection parity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuo Shinbashi, Kenichi Nakanishi, Yasushi Fujinami, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Ken Ishii, Hideaki Okubo
  • Patent number: 10338984
    Abstract: Detecting a defective cell in a memory in consideration of an error property difference depending on the storage state. A determination unit determines whether there is a possibility of defect for each of unit-of-storages on a memory cell formed with a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory undergoes either a reset operation that transitions a state from a low resistive state (LRS) to a high resistive state (HRS) or a set operation that transitions the state from the high resistive state to the low resistive state. The determination unit determines a unit-of-storage in which the number of errors in predetermined one of the reset operation and the set operation has exceeded a predetermined standard, as a unit-of-storage suspected of having a defect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasushi Fujinami, Kenichi Nakanishi, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Tetsuya Yamamoto, Tatsuo Shinbashi, Hideaki Okubo, Haruhiko Terada, Ken Ishii, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Matatoshi Honjo
  • Publication number: 20190095136
    Abstract: To perform both writing and reading at a high speed by utilizing a first memory and a second memory that has a lower writing speed and a higher reading speed than the first memory. A writing unit writes writing data related to a writing command in a first memory when the writing command is executed. A transfer unit transfers the writing data from the first memory to a second memory at a predetermined timing. A reading unit performs reading of reading data from the second memory with higher priority than from the first memory when a reading command is executed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: HIDEAKI OKUBO, KENICHI NAKANISHI
  • Patent number: 10031865
    Abstract: To suppress the degradation of memory cells in a non-volatile memory. A read processing unit performs a read process for reading read data from each of a plurality of memory cells on the basis of a first threshold. An error detection unit detects presence or absence of an error in the read data and specifies memory cells in which the error is present among the plurality of memory cells. A re-read processing unit performs a re-read process for reading data, as re-read data, from the specified memory cells on the basis of a second threshold different from the first threshold. A refresh processing unit rewrites, for a memory cell of which the re-read data has a different value from the read data among the specified memory cells, data with the re-read data as a refresh process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Haruhiko Terada, Lui Sakai, Hideaki Okubo, Keiichi Tsutsui
  • Publication number: 20180143871
    Abstract: A data holding characteristic of a memory cell is improved in a memory system in which data is encoded and written to a memory cell. A first candidate parity generation unit generates, as a first candidate parity, a parity for detecting an error in an information section in which a predetermined value is assigned in a predetermined variable area. A second candidate parity generation unit generates, as a second candidate parity, a parity for detecting an error in the information section in which a value different from the predetermined value is assigned in the predetermined variable area. A selection unit selects a parity that satisfies a predetermined condition from among the first and second candidate parities as a selection parity. An output unit outputs a codeword constituted by the information section corresponding to the selection parity and the selection parity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventors: Tatsuo Shinbashi, Kenichi Nakanishi, Yasushi Fujinami, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Ken Ishii, Hideaki Okubo
  • Publication number: 20170357572
    Abstract: To secure flexibility of the memory extension area which is secured on the memory of the host computer and used by the memory controller. [Solution] A controller memory stores data corresponding to an area allocated to a memory in a memory controller configured to control the memory. An access control unit allocates a partial area of the controller memory to a host memory in a host computer and uses the areas as a memory extension area. The extension area managing unit performs management so that a size of the memory extension area in the host memory is changeable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hideaki Okubo, Kenichi Nakanishi, Yasushi Fujinami
  • Patent number: 9836392
    Abstract: A storage control apparatus includes: a pre-processing-execution determining block for determining whether or not either one of an erase operation and a program operation is to be executed as pre-processing in a write operation to be carried out on a predetermined data area to serve as a write-operation object; and a pre-read processing block for reading out pre-read data from the data area prior to the write operation if a result of the determination indicates that the pre-processing is to be executed. The apparatus further includes a bit operating block for carrying out: the pre-processing and one of the erase and program operations which is not the pre-processing as post-processing if a result of the determination indicates that the pre-processing is to be executed; and the post-processing without carrying out the pre-processing if a determination result indicates that the pre-processing is not to be executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naohiro Adachi, Keiichi Tsutsui, Kenichi Nakanishi, Hideaki Okubo, Yasushi Fujinami, Ken Ishii
  • Publication number: 20170329724
    Abstract: To suppress the degradation of memory cells in a non-volatile memory. A read processing unit performs a read process for reading read data from each of a plurality of memory cells on the basis of a first threshold. An error detection unit detects presence or absence of an error in the read data and specifies memory cells in which the error is present among the plurality of memory cells. A re-read processing unit performs a re-read process for reading data, as re-read data, from the specified memory cells on the basis of a second threshold different from the first threshold. A refresh processing unit rewrites, for a memory cell of which the re-read data has a different value from the read data among the specified memory cells, data with the re-read data as a refresh process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Inventors: HARUHIKO TERADA, LUI SAKAI, HIDEAKI OKUBO, KEIICHI TSUTSUI
  • Publication number: 20170322842
    Abstract: Reduction in deterioration of a memory cell in a non-volatile memory is achieved. A memory controller is configured to include a time measuring unit, an elapsed time determination unit, and a read unit. The time measuring unit measures time elapsed from predetermined timing on an address where data written. The elapsed time determination unit determines whether the elapsed time exceeds a fixed amount of time upon receiving an instruction to read out the data from the address. The read control unit causes reading-out of the data from the address to pause in a case where the elapsed time is determined not to exceed the fixed amount of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Inventors: HIROYUKI IWAKI, KEIICHI TSUTSUI, LUI SAKAI, KENICHI NAKANISHI, HIDEAKI OKUBO, YASUSHI FUJINAMI
  • Publication number: 20170293513
    Abstract: [Object] To sufficiently reduce frequency of error occurrence in memory cells. [Solution] A reading unit reads read data from a memory cell, the read data including an information bit and reversal information for determining whether or not the information bit has been reversed. In addition, an error detection/correction unit detects the presence or absence of an error in the information bit and corrects the error. A data reversing unit reverses the information bit that has the error corrected and the reversal information. Furthermore, a writing unit writes the reversed information bit and the reversed reversal information in the memory cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2015
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Inventors: Tatsuo Shinbashi, Keiichi Tsutsui, Hideaki Okubo, Lui Sakai, Kenichi Nakanishi, Yasushi Fujinami
  • Publication number: 20170255502
    Abstract: Detecting a defective cell in a memory in consideration of an error property difference depending on the storage state. A determination unit determines whether there is a possibility of defect for each of unit-of-storages on a memory cell formed with a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory undergoes either a reset operation that transitions a state from a low resistive state (LRS) to a high resistive state (HRS) or a set operation that transitions the state from the high resistive state to the low resistive state. The determination unit determines a unit-of-storage in which the number of errors in predetermined one of the reset operation and the set operation has exceeded a predetermined standard, as a unit-of-storage suspected of having a defect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventors: YASUSHI FUJINAMI, KENICHI NAKANISHI, TSUNENORI SHIIMOTO, TETSUYA YAMAMOTO, TATSUO SHINBASHI, HIDEAKI OKUBO, HARUHIKO TERADA, KEN ISHII, HIROYUKI IWAKI, MATATOSHI HONJO