Abstract: The invention introduces a method for programming data of page groups into flash units to include steps for: obtaining, by a host interface (I/F) controller, user data of a page group from a host side, wherein the page group comprises multiple pages; storing, by the host I/F controller, the user data on the pages in a random access memory (RAM) through a bus architecture, outputting the user data on the pages to an engine via an I/F, and enabling the engine to calculate a parity of the page group according to the user data on the pages; obtaining, by a direct memory access (DMA) controller, the parity of the page group from the engine and storing the parity of the page group in the RAM through the bus architecture; and obtaining, by a flash I/F controller, the user data on the pages and the parity of the page group from the RAM through the bus architecture, and programming the user data on the pages and the parity of the page group into a flash module.

Abstract: High-efficiency control technology for non-volatile memory is shown. A controller transfers valid data from a first source block to an active block in sections and, between segmented data transfers, the controller writes data issued by the host to the active block. When no second source block is waiting, the controller transfers a first amount of valid data from the first source block to the active block in each segmented data transfer. When a second source block is waiting, the controller transfers a second amount of valid data from the first source block to the active block in each segmented data transfer. The second amount is larger than the first amount and thereby the data transfer for the first source block speeds up.

Abstract: A data storage device is provided. The data storage device includes: a flash memory, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and a memory controller. The flash memory stores a logical-to-physical mapping (L2P) table that is divided into a plurality of group-mapping tables. The memory controller receives a host command from a host, wherein the host command includes one or more pieces of data and one or more corresponding logical addresses. The memory controller writes the data of the host command into active blocks of the flash memory. In response to the memory controller changing the active blocks into unsaved data blocks and a number of the unsaved data blocks being greater than or equal to an unsaved data block count threshold, the memory controller segmentally updates mapping relationships of the data in the unsaved data blocks, and writes the updated group-mapping tables into the flash memory.

Abstract: A flash memory method includes: classifying data into a plurality of groups of data; respectively executing error code encoding to generate first corresponding parity check code to store the groups of data and first corresponding parity check code into flash memory module as first blocks; reading out the groups of data from first blocks; executing error correction and de-randomize operation upon read out data to generate de-randomized data; executing randomize operation upon de-randomized data according to a set of seeds to generate randomized data; performing error code encoding upon randomized data to generate second corresponding parity check code; and, storing randomized data and second corresponding parity check code into flash memory module as second block; a cell of first block is used for storing data of first bit number which is different from second bit number corresponding to a cell of second block.

Abstract: A method for reading data stored in a flash memory. The flash memory comprises a plurality of memory cells and each memory cell has a particular threshold voltage. The method includes: obtaining a first threshold voltage distribution representing threshold voltages of a first group of the memory cells; obtaining a second threshold voltage distribution representing threshold voltages of a second group of the memory cells, wherein the second threshold voltage distribution is different from the first threshold voltage distribution, and the first group of the memory cells comprises at least a part of the second group of the memory cells; and controlling the flash memory to perform at least one read operation upon the first group of the memory cells according to the second threshold voltage distribution.

Abstract: The present invention provides a decoding method of a flash memory controller, wherein the decoding method includes the steps of: reading first data from a flash memory module; decoding the first data, and recording at least one specific address of the flash memory module according to decoding results of the first data, wherein said at least one specific address corresponds to a bit having high reliability errors (HRE) of the first data; reading second data from the flash memory module; and decoding the second data according to said at least one specific address.

Abstract: A high efficiency garbage collection method, an associated data storage device and a controller thereof are provided. The high efficiency garbage collection method includes: starting and executing a garbage collection procedure; determining whether a Trim command from a host device is received; in response to the Trim command being received, determining whether target data of the Trim command is stored in a source block of the garbage collection procedure; in response to the target data being stored in the source block, determining whether the target data stored in the source block has been copied to a destination block of the garbage collection procedure; and in response to the target data stored in the source block having been copied to the destination block, changing at least one physical address of the target data of the Trim command to a Trim tag in a logical-to-physical address mapping table.

Abstract: The invention introduces an apparatus for controlling data access that includes a memory, an access interface and a processing unit. The processing unit is arranged to operably receive logical-to-physical (L2P) mapping information corresponding to a programming operation through the access interface and store the L2P mapping information in the memory; searching the L2P mapping information to obtain a first logical address associated with user data stored in space of each physical address and a second logical address associated with user data stored in space of each next physical address; generating content of a plurality of entries of a link-based L2P mapping sub-table in the order of logical addresses, wherein each entry of the link-based L2P mapping sub-table stores information about a physical address and a second logical address associated with a corresponding first logical address; and store the link-based L2P mapping sub-table.

Abstract: The invention introduces a method for proactive error-correcting code (ECC) failure handling, at least including the following steps: obtaining a completion element (CE) from a completion queue (CQ); determining whether an execution reply table of the CE comprises an unsecure value; if so, reallocating a physical address for a user data transaction corresponding to the unsecure value; and outputting a write command into a submission queue (SQ) for programming the user data transaction into the reallocated physical address.

Abstract: A data storage device is shown, which has a data storage module and a lighting module with the lighting module controlled by a host through the data storage module. The data storage module has a non-volatile memory and a controller that operates the non-volatile memory in response to the host. The lighting module has a lighting decoration. When the host outputs a command that carries the lighting request regarding the lighting decoration, the controller is switched to operate the lighting decoration to emit light according to the lighting request.

Abstract: The invention introduces a non-transitory computer program product for adjusting operating frequencies when executed by a processing unit of a device, containing program code to: collect an interface-activity parameter comprising information about data transmissions on a host access interface and/or a flash access interface; select one from multiple frequencies according to the interface-activity parameter; and drive a clock generator to output a clock signal at the selected frequency, thereby enabling the host access interface and/or the flash access interface to operate at an operating frequency.

Abstract: A method for performing power management in a memory device, the associated memory device and the controller thereof, and the associated electronic device are provided. The memory device includes a non-volatile (NV) memory including at least one NV memory element. The method may include: during an initialization phase of the memory device, detecting whether a host device supports communications corresponding to a first communications protocol; and before detecting that the host device supports communications corresponding to the first communications protocol, controlling a physical layer (PHY) circuit within the memory device to keep staying at a power off state to save power, wherein the PHY circuit supports communications corresponding to the first communications protocol.

Abstract: High-efficiency control technology for non-volatile memory. A non-volatile memory has single level cells (SLCs) and multiple level cells (e.g., MLCs or TLCs) and is controlled by a controller. According to the controller at the device end, a host allocates a system memory to provide a host memory buffer (HMB). The controller at the device end uses the HMB to buffer write data issued by the host, and then flushes the write data from the HMB to multi-level cells of the non-volatile memory without passing single level cells of the non-volatile memory to reduce write amplification problems due to the frequent use of the single-level cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides a flash memory controller, wherein the flash memory controller is arranged to access a flash memory module, the flash memory module includes a plurality of flash memory chips, the flash memory controller includes a buffer memory and a microcontroller, and the buffer memory is arranged to store an in-system programming (ISP) code. When the flash memory controller enters a power saving mode, the microcontroller disables a portion of the buffer memory to make at least one portion of the ISP code disappear; and when the flash memory controller enters a normal mode from the power saving mode, the microcontroller reads said at least one portion of the ISP code from N flash memory chips within the plurality of flash memory chips, wherein N is a positive integer greater than one.

Abstract: The present invention provides a flash memory controller, where the flash memory controller includes a read-only memory, a processor and a cache, the read-only memory stores a program code, and the processor executes the program code to perform access a flash memory module. When the processor receives first data from a host, the processor stores the first data into a region of the cache, and the processor builds or updates a binary tree according to the first data, wherein the binary tree is used when the processor receives a read command from the host.

Abstract: A write control method, an associated data storage device and the controller thereof are provided. The write control method includes: receiving one or more commands from a host device and executing the one or more commands, and performing determining operations to generate determining results; in response to the determining results, starting performing write collection; collecting and handling one or more write commands to buffer data of the one or more write commands through a buffer memory, and performing other determining operations to generate other determining results; in response to the other determining results, according to a quantity of one or more collected and handled write commands, determining whether data thereof has filled up a write buffer region of the buffer memory; and in response to the data having filled up the write buffer region, flushing the write buffer region to write the data therein into a non-volatile memory.

Abstract: A data storage system includes a processing circuit, a lookup table (LUT), and a decoding circuit. The processing circuit is arranged to receive a first logical block address (LBA) from a host. The LUT is arranged to store a storage address mapping to the first LBA. The decoding circuit is arranged to utilize the storage address to read storage data from a storing circuit, and decode a first data sector in the storage data according to an error checking and correcting code in the storage data, and the first data sector at least comprises a second LBA.

Abstract: A data storage device equipped with a plurality of thermometers configured to detect temperature of different regions of a non-volatile memory. A controller of the data storage device is configured to operate the non-volatile memory to heat up a target region of the non-volatile memory according to a regional temperature detected by a target thermometer corresponding to the target region.

Abstract: A memory controller is provided. The memory controller is coupled to a flash memory that includes a plurality of physical blocks, and each physical block includes a plurality of physical pages, and some of the physical pages are defective physical pages. The memory controller includes a processor that is configured to set a total target initialization time for an initialization process of the flash memory. The processor sequentially selects a current physical block from among all the physical blocks to perform the initialization process, and it performs a read operation of the initialization process on the current physical block using a read-operation threshold. In response to the read operation of the current physical block being completed, the processor dynamically adjusts the read-operation threshold of the read operation of the physical blocks, so that the initialization process is completed within the total target initialization time.

Abstract: A method for controlling a storage device is provided. The method may include: transmitting an initial command conforming to a first communications protocol and a data payload including a command parameter conforming to a second communications protocol to the storage device; transmitting a setting command conforming to the first communications protocol to the storage device; transmitting a confirmation command conforming to the first communications protocol to the storage device; and according to a data payload corresponding to the confirmation command, confirming whether the initial command, the setting command, and the confirmation command are successfully executed.