Code Word For Plural N-bit (n>1) Storage Units (e.g., X4 Dram's) Patents (Class 714/767)
  • Patent number: 8694863
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a Flash-based memory module having high-speed serial communication. The Flash-based memory module comprises, among other things, a plurality of I/O modules, each configured to communicate with an external device over one or more external communication links, a plurality of Flash-based memory cards, each comprising a plurality of Flash memory devices, and a plurality of crossbar switching elements, each being connected to a respective one of the Flash-based memory cards and configured to allow each one of the I/O modules to communicate with the respective one of the Flash-based memory cards. Each I/O module is connected to each crossbar switching element by a high-speed serial communication link, and each crossbar switching element is connected to the respective one of the Flash-based memory cards by a plurality of parallel communication links.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, Rebecca J. Hutsell
  • Patent number: 8683292
    Abstract: A multiple access scheme is described. One or more encoders are configured to encode a plurality of bit streams using Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) coding. The bit streams correspond to a respective plurality of terminals. The plurality of bit streams are converted to provide a multiple access scheme for the terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hughes Network Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Lin-Nan Lee, Mustafa Eroz
  • Patent number: 8661319
    Abstract: A memory system according to the embodiment comprises a cell array including cell units having p or more physical quantity levels (p is a prime of 3 or more); a code generator unit operative to convert binary-represented input data to a write code represented by elements in Zp that is a residue field modulo p; and a code write unit operative to write the write code in the cell unit in accordance with the association of the elements in Zp to different physical quantity levels, wherein the input data is recorded in (p?1) cell units, the (p?1) cell units including no cell unit that applies the same physical quantity level for write in the case where the input data is 0 and for write in the case where only 1 bit is 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Haruki Toda
  • Patent number: 8645795
    Abstract: The present invention provides a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device that can optimize a timing of performing an error detection and correction process to shorten a processing time. Upon receiving a write request to a memory cell array including a variable resistive element where information is stored based on a resistance state of a variable resistor, an input/output buffer outputs write data to a write control unit and an ECC control unit. The write control unit performs a data write process of writing divided data, obtained by dividing the write data into a predetermined number of data, to the databanks. The ECC control unit generates a first error correction code by performing an error correction code generation process to the write data or the divided data, in parallel with the data write process. The write control unit performs a code write process of writing first test data into an ECC bank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuya Ishihara, Yoshiaki Tabuchi
  • Patent number: 8621290
    Abstract: A memory system that facilitates probabilistic error correction for a failed memory component with partial-component sparing. The memory system accesses blocks of data, each block including an array of bits logically organized into R rows and C columns. The C columns include (1) a row-checkbit column containing row-parity bits for each of the R rows, (2) an inner-checkbit column containing X=R?S inner checkbits and S spare bits, and (3) C-2 data-bit columns containing data bits. Each column is stored in a different memory component. When the memory system determines that a memory component has failed, the memory system examines the pattern of errors associated with the failed component to determine if the failure affects a partial component associated with S or fewer bits. If so, the memory system corrects and remaps data bits from the failed partial component to the S spare data bits in the inner-checkbit column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Bharat K. Daga, Robert E. Cypher
  • Publication number: 20130346830
    Abstract: Examples of the present invention include an electronic-memory-system component. The electronic-memory-system component includes an array of data-storage elements and an encoder that receives input data, processes the input data as a two-dimensional array of bits by carrying out two passes, in one pass subjecting a portion of each row of the two-dimensional array of bits having more than a threshold weight to a first weight-reduction operation, and, in another pass, subjecting a portion of each considered column of the two-dimensional array of bits having more than a threshold weight to a second weight-reduction operation, one of the first and second weight-reduction operations employing an antipodal mapping and the other of the first and second weight-reduction operations employing bit inversion, generates a codeword corresponding to the input data, and stores the codeword in the array of data-storage elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Inventors: Erik Ordentlich, Ron M. Roth
  • Patent number: 8595594
    Abstract: A data processing method is provided. A data is compressed to obtain a compressed data. Compression information corresponding to the compressed data is obtained. Error checking and correcting (ECC) codes are respectively generated for the compression information and the compressed data. The compression information, the compressed data, and the ECC codes are respectively written into a rewritable non-volatile memory module. The compression information, the compressed data, and the ECC codes are respectively read from the rewritable non-volatile memory module. An ECC procedure is preformed on the compression information according to the corresponding ECC code, so as to obtain a storage state when the compression information is written. An ECC procedure is preformed on the compressed data according to the storage state of the compression information and the ECC code corresponding to the compressed data, so as to obtain a storage state when the compressed data is written.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Phison Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Li-Chun Liang
  • Patent number: 8589769
    Abstract: A memory subsystem with a memory bus and a memory assembly. The memory bus includes multiple bitlanes. The memory assembly is in communication with the memory bus and includes instructions for receiving an error code correction (ECC) word in multiple packets via the memory bus. The ECC word includes data bits and ECC bits arranged into multiple multi-bit ECC symbols. Each of the ECC symbols is associated with one of the bitlanes on the memory bus. The memory assembly also includes instructions for utilizing one of the ECC symbols to perform error detection and correction for the bits in the ECC word received via the bitlane associated with the ECC symbol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy J. Dell, Kevin C. Gower, Warren E. Maule
  • Patent number: 8583990
    Abstract: An apparatus and associated method provided for a plurality of storage elements arranged and concurrently accessible in an array. A controller executes programming instructions stored in memory to append an error correction code (ECC) block to a first data block and to store the first data block with appended ECC block in a first storage element of the plurality, the appended ECC block associated with a second data block other than the first data block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Spectra Logic Corporation
    Inventor: Matthew Thomas Starr
  • Patent number: 8583987
    Abstract: Subject matter disclosed herein relates to read and write processes of a memory device. During a write process to a particular partition in a memory array, a response to a read request of contents of the particular partition may be delayed. In some embodiments, the contents of the particular partition may be indirectly read during the write process without delaying the response to the read request. The contents of the particular partition can be indirectly read by determining the contents of the particular partition based, at least in part, on an error correction code based, at least in part, on contents of memory partitions of the memory array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Graziano Mirichigni
  • Patent number: 8578246
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for recording input data in q-level cells of solid-state memory (2), where q>2. Input data words are encoded as respective codewords, each having a plurality of symbols. The coding scheme is such that each symbol can take one of q values corresponding to respective predetermined levels of the q-level cells, and each of the possible input data words is encoded as a codeword with a unique sequence of relative symbol values. The symbols of each codeword are then recorded in respective cells of the solid-state memory by setting each cell to the level corresponding to the recorded symbol value. Input data is thus effectively encoded in the relative positions of cell levels, providing resistance to certain effects of drift noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Mittelholzer, Nikolaos Papandreou, Charalampos Pozidis
  • Patent number: 8566679
    Abstract: An error-correcting coding method generates code words of m bits from useful data blocks of n bits. The method adds k check bits to a block of n useful data bits in order to generate a code word of m=n+k bits, said check bits being defined according to the combination rules defined by a parity matrix H consisting of binary elements and having k rows and m columns such that H·V=0, V being a column matrix whose m elements are the m bits of the code word to be generated. The k check bits are separated into two groups, on the one hand a group of k1 bits called total parity bits PT and on the other hand a group of k2 bits called conventional check bits VC, the values of k, k1 and k2 satisfying the conditions k=k1+k2 and k>k1>2, the matrix H whose columns can be swapped being broken down into six submatrices A, B, C, D, E and F. Another method detects multiple errors in code words generated by the coding method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives
    Inventors: Valentin Gherman, Samuel Evain
  • Patent number: 8560927
    Abstract: Integrated circuits with memory elements may be provided. Integrated circuits may include memory error detection circuitry that is capable of correcting single-bit errors, correcting adjacent double-bit errors, and detecting adjacent triple-bit errors. The memory error detection circuitry may include encoding circuitry that generates parity check bits interleaved among memory data bits. The memory error detection circuitry may include decoding circuitry that is used to generate output data and error signals to indicate whether a correctable soft error or an uncorrectable soft error has been detected. The output data may be written back to the memory elements if a correctable soft error is detected. The memory error detection circuitry may be operable in a pipelined or a non-pipelined mode depending on the desired application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Kostas Pagiamtzis, David Lewis
  • Patent number: 8549382
    Abstract: For storage drives with LDPC encoded data, read techniques are provided whereby an errantly read memory unit (e.g., faulty LDPC codeword) may be recovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Ravi H. Motwani
  • Patent number: 8527836
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure describe methods, apparatus, and system configurations for providing rank-specific cyclic redundancy checks in memory systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Ramesh Subashchandrabose, Tessil Thomas, Sambaran Mitra, Debaleena Das, Kai Cheng
  • Patent number: 8510635
    Abstract: A method for evaluating failure rate, which is applied to a plurality of semiconductor chips with error checking and correcting function includes the following steps. A first read-write test operation is applied to the semiconductor chips, thereby obtaining a plurality of first failure bit counting values. The error checking and correcting function of each of the semiconductor chips is off. An aging test is applied to the semiconductor chips. A second read-write test operation as the first read-write test operation is applied to the semiconductor chips, thereby obtaining a plurality of second failure bit counting values. The number of the semiconductor chips, the first failure bit counting values, the second failure bit counting values and an error checking and correcting coefficient are calculated to obtain a failure rate of the semiconductor chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Yun-Chi Yang, Yen-Song Liu, Chin-Hsien Chen, Sheng-Yu Wu, Kuan-Cheng Su
  • Patent number: 8503558
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a signal modulation device, a transmission method, and a code generation method. The signal modulation device includes a code storage unit including a plurality of n-bit members and storing a code with a number n or n?1 of different bits between two neighboring members, and a mapper for mapping data on symbols according to the code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Byung-Jae Kwak, Dong Seung Kwon
  • Patent number: 8499221
    Abstract: Adaptive endurance coding including a method for accessing memory that includes retrieving a codeword from a memory address. The codeword is multiplied by a metadata matrix to recover metadata for the codeword. The metadata includes a data location specification. The data in the codeword is identified in response to the metadata and the data is output as read data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michele M. Franceschini, Ashish Jagmohan, John P. Karidis, Luis A. Lastras-Montano
  • Patent number: 8495468
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a data storage apparatus including memory chips includes an error correction encoder, a RAID controller, error detectors and memory units. Each of the memory chips includes a semiconductor memory. The error correction encoder adds an error correction code to an encoded data stream. The RAID controller divides the encoded data stream from the error correction encoder into data blocks. The RAID controller generates a parity data block based on the data blocks. The RAID controller outputs the data blocks and parity data block to the error detectors, respectively. The error detectors add an error detection code to the data blocks and parity data block output from the RAID controller. Each of the memory units includes the memory chips. The memory units write the data blocks and parity data block from the error detectors to the memory chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kenshi Dachiku
  • Patent number: 8495481
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatuses related to NVM devices with extended error correction protection. In some embodiments, a parity cache is used to store parity values of data values stored in a plurality of codewords of an NVM device. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Bueb
  • Patent number: 8468422
    Abstract: A method for predicting and preventing uncorrectable errors that may occur while accessing memory in a computer system. The method involves detecting two or more correctable errors from two or more different physical addresses on each of two or more different bit positions from the same DIMM within a specified period of time, with all of the correctable errors occurring within the same checkword. The method also involves detecting two or more correctable errors from two or more different physical addresses on each of three or more different outputs from the same DRAM within a specified period of time, as long as the three outputs do not all correspond to the same relative bit position in their respective checkwords. This allows a computer system which encounters correctable errors to continue to reliably operate without the unnecessary replacement of functioning memory systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen A. Chessin, Louis Tsien
  • Patent number: 8456919
    Abstract: A method includes providing data including hard bit data and soft bit data to a rank modulation decoder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Seungjune Jeon, Sergey Anatolievich Gorobets
  • Patent number: 8448256
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a programmable logic device includes a plurality of logic blocks, memory and a logic unit. The logic blocks are grouped into one or more partitions. The memory stores authentication and partition information uploaded to the programmable logic device prior to partition programming. The logic unit authenticates programming access to the one or more partitions based on the authentication information and controls programming of the one or more partitions based on the partition information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Joerg Borchert, Jurijus Cizas, Shrinath Eswarahally, Mark Stafford, Rajagopalan Krishnamurthy
  • Patent number: 8429512
    Abstract: To decode a manifestation of a codeword in which K information bits are encoded as N>K codeword bits, messages are exchanged between N bit nodes and N?K check nodes. During computation, messages are expressed with a full message length greater than two bits. In each iteration, representations of at least some of the exchanged messages are stored. For at least one node, if representations of messages sent from that node are stored, then the representation of one or more of the messages is stored using at least two bits but using fewer bits than the full message length, and the representation of one other message is stored with full message length. Preferably, the messages that are stored using fewer bits than the full message length are messages sent from check nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Romat At Tel Aviv University Ltd.
    Inventors: Eran Sharon, Simon Litsyn, Idan Alrod
  • Patent number: 8407560
    Abstract: Method and system embodiments of the present invention are directed to encoding information in ways that are compatible with constraints associated with electrical-resistance-based memories and useful in other, similarly constrained applications, and to decoding the encoded information. One embodiment of the present invention encodes k information bits and writes the encoded k information bits to an electronic memory, the method comprising systematically encoding the k information bits to produce a vector codeword, with additional parity bits so that the codeword is resilient to bit-transition errors that may occur during storage of the codeword in, and retrieval of the codeword from, the electronic memory, ensuring that the codeword does not violate a weight constraint, and writing the codeword to the electronic memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Erik Ordentlich, Ron M. Roth, Pascal Vontobel
  • Patent number: 8402341
    Abstract: An approach is provided for processing structure Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes. Memory storing edge information and a posteriori probability information associated with a structured parity check matrix used to generate Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) coded signal are accessed. The edge information represent relationship between bit nodes and check nodes, and are stored according to a predetermined scheme that permits concurrent retrieval of a set of the edge information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Inventors: Mustafa Eroz, Lin-Nan Lee
  • Patent number: 8392796
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to systems, methods, and apparatuses for reliability, availability, and serviceability solutions for memory technology. In some embodiments, a host determines the configuration of the memory subsystem during initialization. The host selects a write cyclic redundancy code (CRC) mechanism and a read CRC mechanism based, at least in part, on the configuration of the memory subsystem. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Kuljit S. Bains, Joseph H. Salmon
  • Patent number: 8392804
    Abstract: A communication system includes a receiver configured to receive a packet that contains plural codewords, and a codeword failure detector cooperatively operable with the receiver. The codeword failure detector can be configured to detect a codeword failure in at least one codeword of the plural codewords as it is being received by the receiver, and to terminate reception at the receiver, when the codeword failure is detected before the end of the packet, to put the receiver into a power save mode for a duration of a remainder of the packet that contains the at least one codeword.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Hun-Seok Kim, Seok-Jun Lee, Anuj Batra, Manish Goel
  • Patent number: 8392805
    Abstract: Erasure-encoded data is stored across a plurality of storage devices in a data storage system. The erasure-encoded data includes k data elements to store on k data storage devices and m parity elements to store on m parity storage devices, wherein for a given minimum Hamming distance d of the data storage system and m?(d?1), data elements are assigned only to corresponding unique combinations of parity elements of size (d?1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L. P.
    Inventors: John Johnson Wylie, Xiaozhou Li
  • Patent number: 8386887
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a Flash-based memory module having high-speed serial communication. The Flash-based memory module comprises, among other things, a plurality of I/O modules, each configured to communicate with an external device over one or more external communication links, a plurality of Flash-based memory cards, each comprising a plurality of Flash memory devices, and a plurality of crossbar switching elements, each being connected to a respective one of the Flash-based memory cards and configured to allow each one of the I/O modules to communicate with the respective one of the Flash-based memory cards. Each I/O module is connected to each crossbar switching element by a high-speed serial communication link, and each crossbar switching element is connected to the respective one of the Flash-based memory cards by a plurality of parallel communication links.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, Rebecca J. Hutsell
  • Patent number: 8381077
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems, methods and circuits for memories and utilization thereof. As one example, a memory system is disclosed that includes a flash memory device and a flash access circuit. The flash access circuit is operable to perform an error code encoding algorithm on a data set to yield an error code, to write the data set to the flash memory device at a first location, and to write the error code to the flash memory device at a second location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventor: Robert W. Warren
  • Patent number: 8359524
    Abstract: The parallel RS-RAID data storage architecture can aggregate that data and checksums within each cluster into intermediate or partial sums that are transferred or distributed to other clusters. The use of intermediate data symbols, intermediate checksum symbols, cluster configuration information on the assignment of data storage devices to clusters and the operational status of data storage devices, and the like, can reduce the computational burden and latency for the error correction calculations while increasing the scalability and throughput of the parallel RS-RAID distributed data storage architecture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Marvell World Trade Ltd.
    Inventor: Arvind Pruthi
  • Patent number: 8352834
    Abstract: Systems and methods for performing high-speed multi-channel forward error correction using external DDR SDRAM is provided. According to one exemplary aspect, an interleaver/deinterleaver performs both read and write accesses to the DDR SDRAM that are burst-oriented by hiding active and precharge cycles in order to achieve high data rate operations. The interleaver/deinterleaver accesses data in the DDR SDRAM as read blocks and write blocks. Each block includes two data sequences. Each data sequence further includes a predetermined number of data words to be interleaved/deinterleaved. The PRECHARGE and ACTIVE command for one data sequence is issued when a preceding data sequence is being processed. Data in one read/write data sequence has the same row address within the same bank of the DDR SDRAM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: BroadLogic Network Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Binfan Liu, Junyi Xu
  • Patent number: 8352839
    Abstract: Encoding data into constrained memory using a method for writing data that includes receiving write data to be encoded into a write word, receiving constraints on symbol values associated with the write word, encoding the write data into the write word, and writing the write word to a memory. The encoding includes: representing the write data and the constraints as a first linear system in a first field of a first size; embedding the first linear system into a second linear system in a second field of a second size, the second size larger than the first size; solving the second linear system in the second field resulting in a solution; and collapsing the solution into the first field resulting in the write word, the write word satisfying the constraints on symbol values associated with the write word.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michele M. Franceschini, Ashish Jagmohan, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Mayank Sharma
  • Patent number: 8341499
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for detecting errors in memory. A memory subsystem that includes a set of parallel memory channels is disclosed. Data is saved such that a duplicate copy of data is saved to the opposite memory channel according to a horizontal mirroring scheme or a vertical mirroring scheme. A cyclic redundancy code is generated on the basis of the data bits and address bits. The generated cyclic redundancy code and a copy of the cyclic redundancy code are saved to the memory channels according to a horizontal mirroring scheme or a vertical mirroring scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventor: John C. Pescatore
  • Patent number: 8341501
    Abstract: Adaptive endurance coding including a method for storing data that includes receiving write data and a write address. A compression algorithm is applied to the write data to generate compressed data. An endurance code is applied to the compressed data to generate a codeword. The endurance code is selected and applied in response to the amount of space saved by applying the compression to the write data. The codeword is written to the write address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michele M. Franceschini, Ashish Jagmohan, John P. Karidis, Luis A. Lastras-Montano
  • Patent number: 8321758
    Abstract: A method of accessing a memory includes accessing multiple ECC words via a single memory channel. Portions of each ECC word are retrieved from different memory ranks, so that a failure in a memory device at one memory rank is less likely to result in uncorrectable errors in the data segment. By accessing the data segments via a single memory channel, rather than multiple memory channels, the single memory channel can be accessed independently, providing for lower cost memory modules, higher memory bandwidth, and lower power dissipation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventor: John C Pescatore
  • Patent number: 8321775
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatuses related to NVM devices with extended error correction protection. In some embodiments, a parity cache is used to store parity values of data values stored in a plurality of codewords of an NVM device. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Bueb
  • Patent number: 8316280
    Abstract: An error correction device is provided. The error correction device includes a code storage unit where a plurality of error correction codes are stored, a first error correction unit to correct a data error detected from input data by using one of a plurality of error correction codes and to output correction data, a buffer to store the correction data, and a second error correction unit to generate a new correction code from the correction data, to compare another of a plurality of error correction codes with the new correction code and to output a comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sil Wan Chang, Bum Seok Yu, Sang Kyoo Jeong, Dong Gi Lee
  • Patent number: 8209577
    Abstract: A “code optimizer” provides various techniques for optimizing arbitrary XOR-based codes for encoding and/or decoding of data. Further, the optimization techniques enabled by the code optimizer do not depend on any underlining code structure. Therefore, the optimization techniques provided by the code optimizer are applicable to arbitrary codes with arbitrary redundancy. As such, the optimized XOR-based codes generated by the code optimizer are more flexible than specially designed codes, and allow for any desired level of fault tolerance. Typical uses of XOR-based codes include, for example, encoding and/or decoding data using redundant data packets for data transmission real-time communications systems, encoding and/or decoding operations for storage systems such as RAID arrays, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Cheng Huang, Jin Li, Minghua Chen
  • Publication number: 20120159285
    Abstract: For storage drives with LDPC encoded data, read techniques are provided whereby an errantly read memory unit (e.g., faulty LDPC codeword) may be recovered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Inventor: Ravi H. Motwani
  • Patent number: 8196011
    Abstract: Input data (1A) having an integral multiple of 8 bits is divided into symbols in units of b bits (b is an integer of 5 to 7) in a register file 10, an error detecting code is added in an error detection calculation circuit 20, and then encoding (such as Reed Solomon (RS) encoding) having an error correction capability of two or more symbols is performed in a parity calculation circuit 30 to record the data in a storage 40. In the reproduction, error correction in units of symbols is performed to reproduced data from the storage 40 in an error correction circuit 70, error detection processing is performed in an error detection calculation circuit 80, and then data having the integral multiple of 8 bits is recovered in a register file 90 to output the same. By this means, it is possible to provide a storage system with high reliability to a soft error that occurs in a storage such as semiconductor memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi ULSI Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Morishi Izumita, Hiroshi Takayanagi
  • Patent number: 8176400
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for flaw scan in a data processing system. As one example, a data processing system is disclosed that includes a data detector circuit, a bit sign inverting circuit, and an LDPC decoder circuit. The data detector circuit receives a verification data set that is an invalid LDPC codeword, and applies a data detection algorithm to the verification data set to yield a detected output. The bit sign inverting circuit modifies the sign of one or more elements of a first derivative of the detected output to yield a second derivative of the detected output. The second derivative of the detected output is an expected valid LDPC codeword. The LDPC decoder circuit applies a decoding algorithm to the second derivative of the detected output to yield a decoded output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventors: Weijun Tan, Shaohua Yang, Hongwei Song, Richard Rauschmayer
  • Patent number: 8161360
    Abstract: Integrated interleaved encoding is performed by obtaining a first piece of input data and a second piece of input data. The first piece of input data is systematically encoded using a first generator polynomial to obtain a first codeword. A second codeword is generated based at least in part on the second piece of input data and the first codeword. This includes by systematically encoding information based at least in part on the second piece of input data and the first codeword using a second generator polynomial. The first codeword and the second codeword are output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Link—A—Media Devices Corporation
    Inventor: Yingquan Wu
  • Patent number: 8156402
    Abstract: A memory device comprises a memory array and error correction circuitry coupled to the memory array. The memory device is configured to perform at least a partial word write operation and a read operation, with the partial word write operation comprising a read phase and a write phase. The write phase of the partial word write operation occurs in the same clock cycle of the memory device as the read operation by, for example, time multiplexing bitlines of the memory array within the clock cycle between the write phase of the partial word write operation and the read operation. Thus, the partial word write operation appears to a higher-level system incorporating or otherwise utilizing the memory device as if that operation requires only a single clock cycle of the memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Agere Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Ross A. Kohler, Richard J. McPartland, Wayne E. Werner
  • Publication number: 20120079352
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a Flash-based memory module having high-speed serial communication. The Flash-based memory module comprises, among other things, a plurality of I/O modules, each configured to communicate with an external device over one or more external communication links, a plurality of Flash-based memory cards, each comprising a plurality of Flash memory devices, and a plurality of crossbar switching elements, each being connected to a respective one of the Flash-based memory cards and configured to allow each one of the I/O modules to communicate with the respective one of the Flash-based memory cards. Each I/O module is connected to each crossbar switching element by a high-speed serial communication link, and each crossbar switching element is connected to the respective one of the Flash-based memory cards by a plurality of parallel communication links.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: TEXAS MEMORY SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Holloway H. FROST, Rebecca J. HUTSELL
  • Patent number: 8132074
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to systems, methods, and apparatuses for reliability, availability, and serviceability solutions for memory technology. In some embodiments, a host determines the configuration of the memory subsystem during initialization. The host selects a write cyclic redundancy code (CRC) mechanism and a read CRC mechanism based, at least in part, on the configuration of the memory subsystem. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Kuljit S. Bains, Joseph H. Salmon
  • Patent number: 8099651
    Abstract: A memory system provides data error detection and correction and address error detection. A cyclical-redundancy-check (CRC) code generates address check bits. A 32-bit address is compressed to 6 address check bits using the CRC code. The 6 address check bits are concatenated with 64 data bits and 2 flag bits to generate a 72-bit check word. The 72-bit check word is input to an error-correction code (ECC) generator that generates 12 check bits that are stored in memory with the 64 data bits. A 76-bit memory module can store the 64 data and 12 check bits. Nibble errors can be corrected, and all nibble+1 bit errors can be detected. Also, a 6-bit error in a sequence of bits can be detected. This allows all errors in the 6-bit CRC of the address to be detected. The CRC code and ECC are ideal for detecting double-bit errors common with multiplexed-address DRAMs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Azul Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin B. Normoyle, Robert G. Hathaway
  • Patent number: 8046628
    Abstract: Memory devices and methods are described that include serially chained memory devices. In one or more of the configurations shown, a serial chain of memory devices includes a number of memory devices, and an error recovery device at an end of the chain. In one configuration shown, the serial chain of memory devices includes a chain of devices where each device is a stacked die memory device. Methods are described that show using the error recovery device in write operations and data recovery operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: David R. Resnick
  • Patent number: 8046665
    Abstract: A memory device may include a memory core block, a data patch unit, a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) generating unit, and/or a serializer. The data patch unit may be configured to patch parallel data read from the memory core block in response to a first read pulse. The CRC generating unit may be configured to generate the CRC code based on the parallel data in response to a second read pulse, the second read pulse delayed by a period of time from if the first read pulse is generated. The serializer may be configured to convert the parallel data to serial data in response to the first read pulse, and/or arrange the CRC code in a order for a number of bits of the serial data to generate a systematic code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hoe-ju Chung, Youn-Cheul Kim