Patents by Inventor Hidetaka Tsuji

Hidetaka Tsuji 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).

  • Patent number: 10431322
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a first string is coupled to the bit line via a first transistor and includes a first cell transistor. A second string is coupled to the bit line via a second transistor and includes a second cell transistor. The first and second cell transistors are coupled to the word line. A controller is configured to instruct the memory device to write first data to the first cell transistor and to write second data to the second cell transistor. The controller is further configured to instruct the memory device to read data from the first cell transistor while storing the first data and the second data after making the instruction for writing the first data and the second data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Toshiba Memory Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Nishida, Hidetaka Tsuji, Tomoyuki Kantani
  • Publication number: 20190287642
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a first string is coupled to the bit line via a first transistor and includes a first cell transistor. A second string is coupled to the bit line via a second transistor and includes a second cell transistor. The first and second cell transistors are coupled to the word line. A controller is configured to instruct the memory device to write first data to the first cell transistor and to write second data to the second cell transistor. The controller is further configured to instruct the memory device to read data from the first cell transistor while storing the first data and the second data after making the instruction for writing the first data and the second data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Applicant: Toshiba Memory Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Nishida, Hidetaka Tsuji, Tomoyuki Kantani
  • Patent number: 9653156
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a nonvolatile semiconductor memory and a memory controller. The memory controller has a first signal generation section that generates a first signal related with a read voltage used for read operation of the nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a second signal generation section that generates a second signal that specifies the temperature coefficient used for the correction for temperature of the read voltage, and a first interface section that outputs the first signal, the second signal and a read command. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory has a word line, a memory cell array includes memory cells connected to the word line, and a second interface section that receives the first signal, the second signal and the read command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Masanobu Shirakawa, Tsuyoshi Atsumi, Hidetaka Tsuji, Tomoyuki Kantani, Hideaki Yamamoto, Yasuhiko Kurosawa
  • Publication number: 20160247561
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a nonvolatile semiconductor memory and a memory controller. The memory controller has a first signal generation section that generates a first signal related with a read voltage used for read operation of the nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a second signal generation section that generates a second signal that specifies the temperature coefficient used for the correction for temperature of the read voltage, and a first interface section that outputs the first signal, the second signal and a read command. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory has a word line, a memory cell array includes memory cells connected to the word line, and a second interface section that receives the first signal, the second signal and the read command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Masanobu SHIRAKAWA, Tsuyoshi Atsumi, Hidetaka Tsuji, Tomoyuki Kantani, Hideaki Yamamoto, Yasuhiko Kurosawa
  • Patent number: 9229851
    Abstract: A memory controller includes logical-physical address conversion table, an access number storing section configured to store the number of accesses to read out data from a memory cell in association with a logical address, a storage state checking section configured to check a storage state of data stored in the memory cell at every predetermined number of accesses, and a refresh processing section configured to perform refresh processing to restore the data stored in the memory cell if the storage state of the data is in a predetermined degraded state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sukegawa, Hidetaka Tsuji, Shuji Takano
  • Patent number: 9142300
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a nonvolatile memory and a control circuit. The nonvolatile memory includes a storage area having a plurality of memory cells configured to store data. The control circuit determines whether data write to the storage area is possible or impossible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Hiroki Tagawa, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 9081664
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a memory unit, a first controller, and a second controller. In the memory unit, first to fourth levels (first level<second level<third level<fourth level) are written based on first and second data. The first controller comprises a first write mode of writing the fourth level based on the data of the second page and then writing the second and third levels and a second write mode of writing the third and fourth levels and then writing the second level. The second controller issues at least one of second and third commands to be supplied to the first controller in order to select at least one of the first and second write modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Shingo Tanimoto, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 9058254
    Abstract: A memory device includes a nonvolatile memory and a controller. The nonvolatile memory includes a storage area having a plurality of memory blocks each including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells, and a buffer including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells and configured to temporarily store data, and in which data is erased for each block. If a size of write data related to one write command is not more than a predetermined size, the controller writes the write data to the buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takafumi Ito, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 9043679
    Abstract: A memory device includes a memory chip that stores data, and an external controller that controls the memory chip. The memory chip includes multiple memory cells configured to store data of two or more bits; and an internal controller that executes a program operation for page data including a lower and an upper page program operation, and executes a read operation for page data including a lower and an upper page read operation. The external controller includes an error correction unit that performs error correction encoding on data to be programmed into the memory cell array and performs error correction decoding on data. The internal controller outputs the read page data from the memory cell array to the external controller, regardless of whether the upper page program operation is complete or not, in the upper page read operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Hitoshi Shiga, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Publication number: 20150063034
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a nonvolatile memory and a control circuit. The nonvolatile memory includes a storage area having a plurality of memory cells configured to store data. The control circuit determines whether data write to the storage area is possible or impossible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Hiroki TAGAWA, Hidetaka TSUJI
  • Patent number: 8797821
    Abstract: A card controller includes an arithmetic processing device. The controller writes data to a semiconductor memory having a first memory block and a second memory block each including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells each configured to hold at least 2 bits, data in the first memory block and data in the second memory block being each erased at a time. The arithmetic processing device writes the data to the memory cells in the first memory block using an upper bit and a lower bit of the at least 2 bits and writes the data to the memory cells in the second memory block using only the lower bit of the at least 2 bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Publication number: 20140047162
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a memory unit, a first controller, and a second controller. In the memory unit, first to fourth levels (first level<second level<third level<fourth level) are written based on first and second data. The first controller comprises a first write mode of writing the fourth level based on the data of the second page and then writing the second and third levels and a second write mode of writing the third and fourth levels and then writing the second level. The second controller issues at least one of second and third commands to be supplied to the first controller in order to select at least one of the first and second write modes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Inventors: Shingo TANIMOTO, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Publication number: 20140006906
    Abstract: A memory device includes a memory chip that stores data, and an external controller that controls the memory chip. The memory chip includes multiple memory cells configured to store data of two or more bits; and an internal controller that executes a program operation for page data including a lower and an upper page program operation, and executes a read operation for page data including a lower and an upper page read operation. The external controller includes an error correction unit that performs error correction encoding on data to be programmed into the memory cell array and performs error correction decoding on data. The internal controller outputs the read page data from the memory cell array to the external controller, regardless of whether the upper page program operation is complete or not, in the upper page read operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Inventors: Hitoshi Shiga, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8356134
    Abstract: A memory device includes a nonvolatile memory and a controller. The nonvolatile memory includes a storage area having a plurality of memory blocks each including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells, and a buffer including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells and configured to temporarily store data, and in which data is erased for each block. If a size of write data related to one write command is not more than a predetermined size, the controller writes the write data to the buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takafumi Ito, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8327063
    Abstract: A memory system with a semiconductor memory device, in which a physical block of n-bits serves as an erase unit, wherein the address management of the memory device is performed by a logical block with m-bits, “m” being larger than “n” and expressed by a power of two, and wherein a n-bit portion continued from the head address in the logical block is defined as a first management unit corresponding to one physical block of the memory device, and a number of the remaining fraction portions each defined as a second management unit are gathered so as to correspond to one physical block of the memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hitoshi Shiga, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Publication number: 20120281473
    Abstract: A card controller includes an arithmetic processing device. The controller writes data to a semiconductor memory having a first memory block and a second memory block each including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells each configured to hold at least 2 bits, data in the first memory block and data in the second memory block being each erased at a time. The arithmetic processing device writes the data to the memory cells in the first memory block using an upper bit and a lower bit of the at least 2 bits and writes the data to the memory cells in the second memory block using only the lower bit of the at least 2 bits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2012
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Inventor: Hidetaka TSUJI
  • Patent number: 8243545
    Abstract: A card controller includes an arithmetic processing device. The controller writes data to a semiconductor memory having a first memory block and a second memory block each including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells each configured to hold at least 2 bits, data in the first memory block and data in the second memory block being each erased at a time. The arithmetic processing device writes the data to the memory cells in the first memory block using an upper bit and a lower bit of the at least 2 bits and writes the data to the memory cells in the second memory block using only the lower bit of the at least 2 bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Publication number: 20120137057
    Abstract: A memory device includes a nonvolatile memory and a controller. The nonvolatile memory includes a storage area having a plurality of memory blocks each including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells, and a buffer including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells and configured to temporarily store data, and in which data is erased for each block. If a size of write data related to one write command is not more than a predetermined size, the controller writes the write data to the buffer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Inventors: Takafumi Ito, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8145827
    Abstract: A memory device includes a nonvolatile memory and a controller. The nonvolatile memory includes a storage area having a plurality of memory blocks each including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells, and a buffer including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells and configured to temporarily store data, and in which data is erased for each block. If a size of write data related to one write command is not more than a predetermined size, the controller writes the write data to the buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takafumi Ito, Hidetaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8098523
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes first memory cell transistors, a memory block, and word lines. Each of the first memory cell transistors has a stacked gate including a charge accumulation layer and a control gate and is capable of holding M bits (M?2i, where i is a natural number and M is a natural number greater than or equal to 3) of data. The memory block includes the first memory cell transistors and is erase unit of the data. The data held in the first memory cell transistors included in the memory block is erased simultaneously. The size of data the memory block is capable of holding is L bits (L=2k, where k is a natural number). The word lines connect in common the control gates of the first memory cell transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hidetaka Tsuji, Tomoji Takada