Patent ID: 6412041
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
A real time processing method of a flash memory, comprising the steps of:(1) determining whether an access to the flash memory is possible when the access to a block of the flash memory is requested in order to perform a read/write operation; (2) determining whether an erase operation is performed in the flash memory when the access to the flash memory is impossible in the step (1), and suspending the erase operation when the erase operation is being performed; (3) performing the read/write operation by accessing the flash memory when the access to the flash memory is possible in the step (1) or when the erase operation in the flash memory is suspended in the step (2); and (4) resuming the erase operation if it was suspended in the step (2) when the step (3) is finished; wherein the flash memory has double banks; wherein the step (1) includes the substeps of: (1-1) requesting access to the block of the double bank flash memory to perform the read/write operation; (1-2) discriminating which bank of a first bank and a second bank the block to which the access is requested belongs; and (1-3) determining whether the access to the discriminated bank is possible; and wherein the step (2) includes the substeps of: (2-1) determining whether the erase operation is being performed in the discriminated bank when the access to the discriminated bank is impossible in the substep (3); (2-2) determining whether a block to which the erase operation is being performed and the block to which the access is requested are the same when the erase operation to the discriminated bank is being performed in the substep (2-1); (2-3) suspending the erase operation which is being performed in the discriminated bank when the block to which the erase operation is being performed and the block to which the access is requested are different in the substep (5); and (2-4) waiting until the access to the discriminated bank is possible when the erase operation in the bank is suspended in the substep (2-1) or when the block to which the erase operation is being performed and the block to which the access is requested are the same in the substep (5).