WO2019061068A1

WO2019061068A1 - Memory component with on-board wireless power receiver

Info

Publication number: WO2019061068A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/103643
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xiaoguo Liang; Haifeng GONG; Xiang Zhou; Wing MIAO
Original assignee: Intel Corp
Current assignee: Intel Corp
Priority date: 2017-09-27
Filing date: 2017-09-27
Publication date: 2019-04-04
Anticipated expiration: 2020-03-27

Abstract

A system component such as a nonvolatile solid state storage drive (104) or a nonvolatile memory module has an on-board wireless power receiver (112) which receives wirelessly transmitted power in a disconnected state to power refresh operations to retain data stored in the nonvolatile memory of the component.

Description

MEMORY COMPONENT WITH ON-BOARD WIRELESS POWER RECEIVER

TECHNICAL FIELD

Certain embodiments of the present invention relate generally to system components having a nonvolatile storage memory.

BACKGROUND

A storage drive typically has nonvolatile storage memory also referred to as persistent storage memory, which retains data stored in the memory notwithstanding a power loss to the storage drive. Nonvolatile storage memory may also be packaged in memory modules such as dual-inline memory modules (DIMM) . However, the duration of data retention or persistence in a nonvolatile storage memory may vary depending upon various factors such as the type of nonvolatile storage memory and the temperature of the memory. Accordingly, the data stored in the nonvolatile storage memory is periodically refreshed by reading data from the memory and writing the read data back into the memory. For example, the data may be refreshed every few days, weeks or months as appropriate. Failure to refresh the data in a timely manner, may lead to loss of data.

Nonvolatile storage memory components such as storage drives or memory modules typically have an external power input connector which is connected to a computer system to receive input power to power memory read, write and refresh operations while connected to the computer system. The nonvolatile storage memory component may be disconnected from a computer system for storage or shipping to another location. Depending upon the duration of time in which the nonvolatile storage memory component is disconnected from the power source of a computer system, the nonvolatile storage memory component may periodically be reconnected to a power source to ensure retention of data stored in the nonvolatile storage memory component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 depicts a high-level block diagram illustrating selected aspects of a system employing one or more components, each having an on-board wireless power receiver in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts an example of a storage drive of FIG. 1 employing an on-board wireless power receiver in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts an example of a storage container containing the storage drive of FIG. 2 in a disconnected state.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of memory operations employing wirelessly transmitted power to power refresh operations of the storage drive in a disconnected state.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of a wireless charger to supply wirelessly transmitted power to the storage drive of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 depicts another example of memory operations employing wirelessly transmitted power to power refresh operations of the storage drive in a disconnected state.

FIG. 7 depicts another example of memory operations employing wirelessly transmitted power to power refresh operations and security measures of the storage drive in a disconnected state.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the description that follows, like components have been given the same reference numerals, regardless of whether they are shown in different embodiments. To illustrate an embodiment (s) of the present disclosure in a clear and concise manner, the drawings may not necessarily be to scale and certain features may be shown in somewhat schematic form. Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments and/or in combination with or instead of the features of the other embodiments.

As previously noted, a nonvolatile storage memory component may be disconnected from a computer system for storage or shipping to another location. However, it is appreciated herein that it may be inconvenient or impractical to periodically reconnect the nonvolatile storage memory component to a power source to ensure retention of data stored in the nonvolatile storage memory component. For example, servers or other computer systems may move from one datacenter to other places for redeployment. Such computer systems are frequently disassembled for shipping such that the memory modules and storage drives storing customer data in nonvolatile storage memory, are removed from the systems and shipped in separate shipping containers. As another example, solid state storage drives and memory modules having nonvolatile storage memory storing customer data may be shipped to remote sites for debugging, and other data operations.

It is recognized herein that it is frequently impractical to power the nonvolatile storage memory components during shipment or storage. For example, to remove each nonvolatile memory component from the shipping container and connect the power input connector of the component to a computer system or stand-alone power supply would often be inconvenient and in many applications, difficult, time consuming, labor intensive and therefore expensive. Moreover, repeated connection and disconnection of the nonvolatile storage memory components to a computer system or stand-alone power supply may increase the likelihood of damage to the components including the often fragile external connectors of the components. On the other hand, to lose the data stored in the nonvolatile storage memory components due to a failure to timely refresh the memories, would likely be unacceptable. As a result, previous nonvolatile storage memory components which rely upon periodic refreshing may not be suitable for many applications in which data storing components may be disconnected from the computer system for extended periods of time.

In one aspect of the present description, a nonvolatile storage memory component includes an on-board wireless power receiver to receive power wirelessly from an external wireless power transmitter. In one embodiment, the on-board wireless power receiver includes a wireless charging coil which converts electromagnetic radiation crossing the coil to useable power for use by the nonvolatile storage memory to refresh data stored in the memory. Thus, the nonvolatile storage memory components stored in the storage container may periodically receive wirelessly transmitted power to periodically refresh the data stored in the memory while remaining in the storage container. As a result, removing each nonvolatile memory component from the storage container and connecting power input connectors of each component to corresponding output connectors of a computer system or stand-alone power supply during shipment or storage of the components, may be reduced or eliminated.

For example, nonvolatile storage memory components such as solid state storage drives or nonvolatile memory modules may be disconnected from computer systems which stored data in the nonvolatile storage memory components and boxed in appropriate storage containers for shipment to another location or just for storage. In one aspect of the present description, the storage container itself may include an on-board portable wireless power transmitter which automatically and periodically wirelessly transmits power to each of the on-board wireless power receivers of each of the nonvolatile storage memory components stored in the storage container. Each on-board wireless power receiver in turn receives the wirelessly transmitted power from the container’s on-board wireless power transmitter, and automatically briefly turns on the nonvolatile storage memory of the nonvolatile storage memory components to refresh the data stored in each nonvolatile storage memory. In another embodiment, the nonvolatile storage memory components stored in the storage container may be wirelessly powered for data retention by a wireless power transmitter which is separate from the storage container in which the nonvolatile storage memory components are stored.

In one embodiment, a portable on-board power supply of the container may include a portable battery to provide power to an on-board portable wireless power transmitter of the portable power supply. The portable battery may in turn be charged by an external power source which may be periodically connected to the portable power supply of the container to recharge the battery as needed. Alternatively, the on-board portable wireless power transmitter may be powered directly by an external power source connected to the on-board portable wireless power transmitter which may lack a portable battery.

In another aspect of the present description, the nonvolatile storage memory may have a low or offline power mode for data refresh operations when the external power input connectors of the component are disconnected from power output connectors of a wire type power supply. In the offline power mode, the nonvolatile memory may operate with reduced functions to reduce power consumption when wirelessly powered. By comparison, the nonvolatile memory may also have a normal or wire conducted power mode in which regular memory read, write and refresh operations are conducted at full power when the connectors of the nonvolatile storage memory component are connected to connectors of a wire type power supply typically found in a computer system.

In another aspect of the present description, the wireless power transmitter may transmit a charger identification such as an identification code as well as wireless power, to the nonvolatile storage memory components stored in the storage container. Charger identification logic of the nonvolatile storage memory component detects the received charger identification and performs a security check. For example, the charger identification logic may compare the received charger identification to a list of certified or authorized charger identifications to determine if the received charger identification is on the list. . If the received charger identification does not match a certified or authorized charger identification, it may indicate that the wireless power is being transmitted by a wireless power transmitter other than a certified or authorized charger or that the nonvolatile storage memory component has been moved to a noncertified or unauthorized storage container. If so, appropriate security measures may be taken such as disabling read and write operations or erasing sensitive stored data, or both, for example.

Although described in connection with nonvolatile storage memory components stored in a storage container, it is appreciated that nonvolatile storage memory components having on-board wireless power receivers in accordance with the present description, may be utilized in other applications. Such other applications may include applications in which power is wirelessly received by the on-board wireless power receivers of the components when not stored in a storage container, for example, or when components having on-board wireless power receivers are connected to a computer system which has been turned off, for example.

It is seen from the above that removing each nonvolatile memory component from the storage container and connecting the power input connectors of each component to corresponding connectors of a computer system or stand-alone power supply during shipment or storage of the components, may be reduced or eliminated by nonvolatile storage memory components in accordance with the present description. Thus, a nonvolatile storage memory component employing an on-board wireless power receiver in accordance with the present description may expand the applicability of nonvolatile storage memory components which require periodic refreshing. However, it is appreciated that features and advantages of employing nonvolatile storage memory components in accordance with the present description may vary, depending upon the particular application.

Such components in accordance with embodiments described herein can be used either for stand-alone memory circuits or logic arrays, or for components having both nonvolatile memory and other devices such as microprocessors and/or digital signal processors (DSPs) in the component. Additionally, it is noted that although systems and processes are described herein primarily with reference to microprocessor based systems in the illustrative examples, it will be appreciated that in view of the disclosure herein, certain aspects, architectures, and principles of the disclosure are equally applicable to other types of device memory and logic devices.

Implementations of the described techniques may include hardware, a method or process, or computer software on a computer-accessible medium. Thus, embodiments include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods.

Operations described herein are performed by logic which is configured to perform the operations either automatically or substantially automatically with little or no system operator intervention, except where indicated as being performed manually such as user selection. Thus, as used herein, the term “automatic” includes both fully automatic, that is operations performed by one or more hardware or software controlled machines with no human intervention such as user inputs to a graphical user selection interface. As used herein, the term “automatic” further includes predominantly automatic, that is, most of the operations (such as greater than 50％, for example) are performed by one or more hardware or software controlled machines with no human intervention such as user inputs to a graphical user selection interface, and the remainder of the operations (less than 50％, for example) are performed manually, that is, the manual operations are performed by one or more hardware or software controlled machines with human intervention such as user inputs to a graphical user selection interface to direct the performance of the operations.

Many of the functional elements described in this specification have been labeled as “logic, ” in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, a logic element may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A logic element may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices or the like.

A logic element may also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. A logic element which includes executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions which may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified logic element need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the logic element and achieve the stated purpose for the logic element.

Indeed, executable code for a logic element may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, among different processors, and across several nonvolatile memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within logic elements, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices.

Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram illustrating selected aspects of a system implemented, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. System 10 may represent any of a number of electronic and/or computing devices, that may include a memory device. Such electronic and/or computing devices may include computing devices such as a mainframe, server, personal computer, workstation, telephony device, network appliance, virtualization device, storage controller, portable or mobile devices (e.g., laptops, netbooks, tablet computers, personal digital assistant (PDAs) , portable media players, portable gaming devices, digital cameras, mobile phones, smartphones, feature phones, etc. ) or component (e.g. system on a chip, processor, bridge, memory controller, memory, etc. ) . In alternative embodiments, system 10 may include more elements, fewer elements, and/or different elements. Moreover, although system 10 may be depicted as comprising separate elements, it will be appreciated that such elements may be integrated on to one platform, such as systems on a chip (SoCs) . In the illustrative example, system 10 comprises a central processing unit or microprocessor 20, a memory controller 30, a memory 40, a storage drive 44 and peripheral components 50 which may include, for example, video controller, input device, output device, additional storage, network interface or adapter, battery, etc.

The microprocessor 20 includes a cache 25 that may be part of a memory hierarchy to store instructions and data, and the system memory may include both volatile memory as well as the memory 40 depicted which may include a nonvolatile memory. The system memory may also be part of the memory hierarchy. Logic 27 of the microprocessor 20 may include one or more cores, for example. Communication between the microprocessor 20 and the memory 40 may be facilitated by the memory controller (or chipset) 30, which may also facilitate in communicating with the storage drive 44 and the peripheral components 50. The memory controller 30 may be a separate component or may be integrated in the microprocessor 20 or the memory 40. The system may include an offload data transfer engine for direct memory data transfers.

Storage drive 44 includes nonvolatile storage and may be implemented as, for example, solid-state drives, magnetic disk drives, optical disk drives, storage area network (SAN) , network access server (NAS) , a tape drive, flash memory, persistent memory domains and other storage devices employing a volatile buffer memory and a nonvolatile storage memory. The storage may comprise an internal storage device or an attached or network accessible storage. The microprocessor 20 is configured to write data in and read data from the memory 40. Programs in the storage are loaded into the memory 40 and executed by the microprocessor 20. A network controller or adapter enables communication with a network, such as an Ethernet, a Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop, etc. Further, the architecture may, in certain embodiments, include a video controller configured to render information on a display monitor, where the video controller may be embodied on a video card or integrated on integrated circuit components mounted on a motherboard or other substrate. An input device is used to provide user input to the microprocessor 20, and may include a keyboard, mouse, pen-stylus, microphone, touch sensitive display screen, input pins, sockets, or any other activation or input mechanism known in the art. An output device is capable of rendering information transmitted from the microprocessor 20, or other component, such as a display monitor, printer, storage, output pins, sockets, etc. The network adapter may be embodied on a network card, such as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) card, PCI-express, or some other input/output (I/O) card, or on integrated circuit components mounted on a motherboard or other substrate.

One or more of the components of the device 10 may be omitted, depending upon the particular application. For example, a network router may lack a video controller, for example. Any one or more of the devices of FIG. 1 including the cache 25, memory 40, system 10, memory controller 30 and peripheral components 50, may include a nonvolatile storage memory component having an on-board wireless power receiver in accordance with the present description.

One example of a nonvolatile storage memory of a nonvolatile storage memory component in accordance with the present description is a 3-dimensional (3D) crosspoint memory, and other types of byte-addressable, write-in-place nonvolatile memory. In some embodiments, 3D crosspoint memory may comprise a transistor-less stackable cross point architecture in which memory cells sit at the intersection of word lines and bit lines and are individually addressable and in which bit storage is based on a change in bulk resistance.

In one embodiment, the memory device is a block addressable memory device, such as those based on NAND (Not AND) or NOR (Not OR) technologies. A memory device may also include future generation nonvolatile devices, such as a three dimensional crosspoint memory device, or other byte addressable write-in-place nonvolatile memory devices. In one embodiment, the memory device may be or may include memory devices that use chalcogenide glass, multi-threshold level NAND flash memory, NOR flash memory, single or multi-level Phase Change Memory (PCM) , a resistive memory, nanowire memory, ferroelectric transistor random access memory (FeTRAM) , anti-ferroelectric memory, magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) memory that incorporates memristor technology, resistive memory including the metal oxide base, the oxygen vacancy base and the conductive bridge Random Access Memory (CB-RAM) , or spin transfer torque (STT) -MRAM, a spintronic magnetic junction memory based device, a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) based device, a DW (Domain Wall) and SOT (Spin Orbit Transfer) based device, a thiristor based memory device, or a combination of any of the above, or other memory. The memory device may refer to the die itself and/or to a packaged memory product.

Volatile memory may be a storage medium that requires power to maintain the state of data stored by the medium. Non-limiting examples of volatile memory may include various types of random access memory (RAM) , such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static random access memory (SRAM) . One particular type of DRAM that may be used in a memory module is synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) . In particular embodiments, DRAM of a memory component may comply with a standard promulgated by JEDEC, such as JESD79F for DDR SDRAM, JESD79-2F for DDR2 SDRAM, JESD79-3F for DDR3 SDRAM, JESD79-4A for DDR4 SDRAM, JESD209 for Low Power DDR (LPDDR) , JESD209-2 for LPDDR2, JESD209-3 for LPDDR3, and JESD209-4 for LPDDR4 (these standards are available at www. jedec. org) . Such standards (and similar standards) may be referred to as DDR-based standards and communication interfaces of the storage devices that implement such standards may be referred to as DDR-based interfaces.

FIG. 2 shows one example of a nonvolatile storage memory component in accordance with the present description. In this example, the nonvolatile storage memory component is a solid state drive 104 of the storage devices 44 (FIG. 1) . The solid state drive 104 includes a nonvolatile storage memory 108 having an on-board wireless power receiver 112 configured to receive in a disconnected state of the nonvolatile storage memory component, wirelessly transmitted power. A wireless charging coil 114 of the wireless power receiver 112, receives wireless transmitted power and converts it to internal wire conducted power for use by internal circuits for selected memory operations including data retention refresh operations of the nonvolatile storage memory 108 of the solid state drive 104. The memory 108 is disposed within a package or housing 116 of the solid state drive 104 in which the housing 116 includes external physical connectors 120 such as pins, lands, balls, sockets or other electrically conductive members.

In one embodiment, the nonvolatile memory 108 may be fabricated as a single integrated circuit chip. In other embodiments, the

elements

112, 140, 144, 146 etc. may be separate such as fabricated using separate circuits or separate dies, for example.

Internal circuitry of the solid state storage drive 104, such as the memory 108, for example, may be electrically connected to circuitry of a system such as the system 10 (FIG. 1) , for example, by physically coupling the external connectors 120 of the storage drive 104 to corresponding physical connectors of the system 10, to operate the memory 108 of the solid state drive 104 in a connected state as a part of the system 10. Thus, FIG. 1 depicts the storage drive 104 (FIG. 2) in a connected state with the storage drive 104 receiving wire conducted power via the connectors 120 from a system power supply 50a such as one of the system peripheral components 50. The system power supply 50a may have an internal source of power such as a rechargeable battery, for example, and/or may receive external power from an alternating current (AC) , direct current (DC) or wirelessly transmitted power source. Thus, the system power supply 50a may be plugged into a suitable wall power socket or power converter or may receive wirelessly transmitted power to power the components of the system 10 via system connectors of the various components such as the connectors 120 of the solid state drive 104, for example in the connected state. It is appreciated that the storage drive 104 may have other connected states such as connected to a power output connector of a stand alone wire-type power supply which supplies power to the storage drive 104 via connectors including an external input power connector of the external connectors 120 of the solid state drive 104.

Alternatively, the external connectors 120 may be physically disconnected from connectors of the system 10 such that the solid state drive 104 is in a disconnected state in which the storage drive 104 is no longer a component of the system 10. Instead, the solid state drive 104 may be stored apart from the system 10 in a suitable storage container 130 (FIG. 3) for shipping or storage in the disconnected state. Thus, FIG. 3 depicts the storage drive 104 in a disconnected state in which the external connectors 120 of the solid state drive 104 are physically disconnected from the system 10 or other devices such as a stand alone wire-type power supply. It is appreciated that the storage drive 104 may have other disconnected states in which the storage drive 104 is not placed in a storage container but is physically disconnected from connectors of a wire type power supply or the system 10 such that the solid state drive 104 is no longer receiving wire conducted power from a wire type power supply having an external power output connector, nor is a component of the system 10.

Other examples of a disconnected state of the storage drive 104 include the storage drive 104 being disconnected from wire conducted power such as when the system 10 has been turned off or a wire type power supply has been turned off. Thus, one or more of the physical connectors storage drive 104 may be physically connected to connectors of the system 10 or to connectors of a wire type power supply but the storage drive 104 is nonetheless considered to be in a disconnected state in that it is disconnected from wire conducted power by the turning off of the system 10 or wire type power supply such that wire conducted power is no longer supplied to the storage drive 104.

The memory 108 of the solid state drive 104 includes physical elements physically located within the housing 116 of the solid state drive. In one embodiment, these physical elements include a nonvolatile bitcell array 140 configured to store data in a persistent manner, a media controller 144 and a power controller 146 of the memory 108. The wireless power receiver 112 including the wireless charging coil 114 are “on-board” the solid state drive and thus are integrated with the solid state drive 104 to be a part of the solid state drive 104.

In the illustrated embodiment, the on-board wireless power receiver 112 including the wireless charging coil 114 may be disposed on one or more physical elements of the memory 108 of the solid state drive 104 such that the wireless charging coil 114 for example of the on-board wireless power receiver 112 is physically affixed to one or more physical elements of the memory 108 and electrically coupled to circuitry of one or more physical elements such as the power controller 146, for example, of the memory 108 of the solid state drive 104. The wireless charging coil 114 may be affixed to the exterior of the housing 116, embedded within the housing 116 or positioned within the interior of the housing 116 with physical elements of the memory 108 such as the bitcell array 140, media controller 144 and the power controller 146. The wireless power receiver 112 including the wireless charging coil 114 may be integrated in whole or in part as an integrated circuit disposed in or on the same die as integrated circuits of one or more elements of the memory 104 such as the bitcell array 140, media controller 144 or the power controller 146. It is appreciated that an on-board wireless charging coil may be integrated with and disposed on a memory of a nonvolatile storage memory component using other techniques, depending upon the particular application.

The array 140 of nonvolatile bitcells is configured to store data written into the bitcell array 140 in a persistent manner. The data is written into the bitcell array 140 by the media controller 144 of the memory 108. The media controller 144 performs read operations to read data from the array 140 in response to a read command or read request from the system 10 (FIG. 1) in the connected state and performs write operations to write data to the bitcell array 140 in response to a write command or write request from the system 10 (FIG. 1) in the connected state.

The power controller 146 controls the conversion of power input to the power controller 146 to power operations of the memory 108 in either a connected state or a disconnected state of the solid state drive 104. The power controller 146 includes mode selection logic 148 which is configured to select an appropriate mode of operation of the power controller 146 from a plurality of modes including a wire conducted power mode in the connected state of the drive 104 and an offline power mode in the disconnected state of the drive 104. In one embodiment, in the wire conducted power mode, the power controller 146 provides power to the memory at a higher level as compared to that of the offline power mode. For example, when the solid state drive 104 is in a connected state such as receiving wire conducted power from the system 10 (FIG. 1) and power is supplied to the memory 108 at the higher level by the power controller 146 in the wire conducted power mode, the media controller 144 is configured to perform input/output operations to selectively read data from and write data to the nonvolatile bitcell array 140 in response to read and write requests issued by a processor such as the microprocessor 20 (FIG. 1) or a data transfer engine such as a direct memory access (DMA) controller. Depending upon the type of memory, the media controller 144 may also perform one or more of formatting, wear leveling, garbage collection, address translation or mapping and other memory management operations in the connected state and the wire conducted power mode.

In one aspect of the present description, the media controller 144 includes refresh logic 150 which is configured to refresh the bitcells of the bitcell array 140 to retain data stored in the bitcell array 140 both in the connected state and wire conducted power mode, and the disconnected state and offline power mode of the solid state drive 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the data stored in the nonvolatile bitcell array 140 is periodically refreshed by reading data from the nonvolatile bitcell array 140 of the memory 108 and writing the read data back into the nonvolatile bitcell array 140. Thus, in the connected state of the solid state drive 104, the refresh logic 150 is configured to refresh the array 140 of nonvolatile bitcells using wire conducted power controlled by the power controller 146 in the wire conducted power mode of the solid state drive 104 to retain data stored in the array of nonvolatile bitcells in the connected state. Also, in the disconnected state of the solid state drive 104, the refresh logic 150 is configured to refresh the array 140 of nonvolatile bitcells using wirelessly transmitted power received by the on-board wireless power receiver 112 and controlled by the power controller 146 in the offline power mode of the solid state drive 104 to retain data stored in the array of nonvolatile bitcells in the disconnected state. The duration of data retention or persistence in the nonvolatile bitcell array 140 may vary depending upon various factors such as the type of nonvolatile storage memory, the age of the nonvolatile storage memory and the temperature of the nonvolatile storage memory.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, the media controller 144 includes sensors 152 including appropriate temperature sensors to detect the temperature of the memory 104 at one or more locations as appropriate, of the memory 104. For example, for a 3-dimensional (3D) crosspoint memory exposed to temperatures up to 85 degrees Celsius (C) in a shipping environment, data can be expected to be retained in one embodiment approximately three days before a refresh operation is applied to ensure retention of the data. In a storage environment in which the 3D crosspoint memory may be exposed to temperatures as high as 60 degrees C, data can be expected to be retained in one embodiment approximately three months before a refresh operation is needed to retain the data. As the 3D crosspoint memory reaches end of life and the 3D crosspoint memory may be exposed to temperatures as high as 40 degrees C, data can be expected to be retained in one embodiment for approximately three months before a refresh operation is applied to ensure retention of the data. Thus, the data may be refreshed every few days, weeks or months as appropriate. Failure to refresh the data in a timely manner, may lead to loss of data.

The media controller 144 may be powered in the offline power mode to perform other memory operations in addition to refresh operations, depending upon the particular application. For example, the media controller 144 may monitor the storage temperature using the sensors 152 and log any detected temperatures which are in excess of the device specification. In addition, although the offline power mode of a disconnected state has been described in one embodiment as having a reduced power level as compared to the wire conducted power mode of a connected state, it is appreciated that in other embodiments, the power levels of the offline and wire connected power modes may be the same or have other relative values, depending upon the particular application.

In one aspect of the present description, the power controller 146 includes a wire conducted power loss detector 156 configured to detect an absence of wire conducted power applied to an external power connector of the external connectors 120 of the nonvolatile storage memory component. In this manner, the wire conducted power loss detector 156 detects whether the storage drive 104 is in the disconnected state in which wire conducted power is no longer being applied to an external power connector of the external connectors 120 of the storage drive 104. The mode selection logic 148 is configured to in response to the wire conducted power loss detector, exit the wire conducted power mode in which power is provided to the memory at the higher level for memory operations and enter the offline power mode to provide power to the memory at a reduced level of power as compared to the wire conducted power mode, using received wirelessly transmitted power to retain data storage in the memory.

In another aspect of the present description, the wireless power receiver 112 on-board the storage drive 104 includes charger identification logic 160 configured to detect a charger identification code accompanying the wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless power receiver and perform a security check such as an authentication process. For example, the charger identification logic 160 may compare the received charger identification to a list of certified or authorized charger identifications to determine if the received charger identification is on the list. The storage drive 104 may be allowed to be charged by different wireless chargers as long as the chargers are verified as authorized. If the received charger identification does not match a certified or authorized charger identification, it may indicate that the wireless power is being transmitted by a wireless power transmitter other than a certified or authorized charger or that the nonvolatile storage memory component has been moved to a noncertified or unauthorized storage container. Accordingly, the media controller 144 further includes security logic 164 configured to, if the received charger identification is not on the list of certified or authorized identifications, take appropriate security measures such as one or more of disabling wireless charging of the drive, disabling read and write operations or erasing sensitive stored data, for example.

FIG. 4 depicts one example of operations of retaining data in a nonvolatile storage memory component such as the solid state drive 104 (FIG. 2) , to retain data stored in the nonvolatile memory of the storage drive in a disconnected state. In one embodiment, power is wirelessly transmitted (block 204) from a wireless power transmitter to a wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component in a disconnected state. FIG. 3 depicts one example of the solid state drive 104 in a disconnected state in which the solid state drive 104 has been disconnected from the system 10 (FIG. 1) and stored in the interior 206 of the storage container 130. Thus, in this example, the external connectors 120 (FIG. 2) of the storage drive 44 have been disconnected from associated connectors of the system 10 (FIG. 1) .

In the example of FIG. 3, the storage container 130 has an on-board portable wireless charger 210 configured to wirelessly transmit power to the solid state drive 104 received in the container 130 in the disconnected state. As an on-board device, on-board wireless charger 210 may be affixed to the exterior or interior of the walls 214 or embedded within the walls 214 of the container 130. Alternatively, the on-board wireless charger 210 may be carried within the interior 206 defined by the walls 214 of the container 130 in a similar manner to that of the solid state drive 104. In yet another example, power may be wirelessly transmitted (block 204 (FIG. 4) by a wireless charger which is not on-board the container 130 but is within the range of the wireless power receiver of the drive 104 to adequately wirelessly power the storage drive 44 which may be stored in the container 130 or is outside of a container in a disconnected state.

In one embodiment, the wireless charger 210 either on-board the container 130 or separate from the container, includes a wireless power transmitter 230 (FIG. 5) which wirelessly transmits power controlled by a portable power supply 234 of the charger 210. The transmitter 230 may include a suitable antenna 238 for wireless power transmission. The power supply 234 may have an internal source of power such as a battery 242, for example, or may receive external power from an alternating current (AC) , direct current (DC) or another wireless power source. Thus, the wireless charger 210 may be plugged into a suitable wall power socket or power converter to power the wireless power transmitter through the power supply 234. The battery 242 may also be a rechargeable battery recharged by the power supply 234.

The wirelessly transmitted power (block 204, FIG. 4) is received (block 250) by the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component in the disconnected state. Thus, wireless power is received by, for example, the wireless charging coil 114 of the wireless power receiver 112 of the solid state drive 104. Using the wirelessly transmitted power, the nonvolatile storage memory component refreshes (block 254, FIG. 4) data stored in the nonvolatile memory of the component. In the example of FIG. 2, the power controller 146 in the offline power mode, powers the media controller 144 using the wirelessly transmitted power, to refresh some or all of the bitcells of the bitcell array to retain the data stored in the bitcells being refreshed.

FIG. 6 depicts another example of operations of retaining data in a nonvolatile storage memory component such as the solid state drive 104 (FIG. 2) transitioning between connected and disconnected states. In this example, the storage drive 104 is initially in a connected state in which it is receiving (block 304) wire conducted power at an external power connector of the storage drive 104. In this connected state, the power controller 146 is initially in the wire conducted power mode to power the media controller 144 of the memory 108 of the storage drive 104 at the higher power level of the wire conducted power mode. The media controller 144 may perform full memory operations including in addition to refresh operations to retain stored data, read and write operations in response to I/O requests from the system 10 if connected to the system 10 in the connected state.

A determination (block 312, FIG. 6) is made as to whether the disconnected state of the component has been detected. In the example of FIG. 2, the detector 156 detects whether there has been a loss of wire conducted power such that the component is in the disconnected state. Such a loss may occur by a disconnection of the component from the system 10 or from a wire type power supply for example, for storage or shipment as described above. A loss of wire conducted power may also occur as a result of turning off the system 10 or wire type power supply to which the component is physically and electrically connected.

If the disconnected state is not detected (block 312, FIG. 6) by the detector 156, that is, the storage drive 104 continues to receive (block 304) in the connected state, external wire conducted power and the power controller 146 continues to power the media controller 144 of the memory 108 of the storage drive 104 at the higher power level of the wire conducted power mode so that the media controller 144 may perform full memory operations. Conversely, if the disconnected state is detected (block 312, FIG. 6) such that the storage drive 104 no longer continues to receive external wire conducted power, the mode selection logic 148 of the power controller 146 exits (block 320) the wire conducted power mode and enters the offline power mode. As set forth above in connection with FIG. 4, in the offline power mode and in the disconnected state, the storage drive 104 receives (block 324, FIG. 6) when it is available, wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless charging coil 114 of the on-board wireless power receiver 112, to provide sufficient power at the reduced level of the offline power mode, for the media controller 144 to at least perform refresh operations to retain data stored in the nonvolatile bitcell array 140 of the nonvolatile memory 108 in the disconnected state.

Thus, in one embodiment, the storage drive 104 constantly receives wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless charging coil of the on-board wireless power receiver when it is available, to provide sufficient power at the reduced level of the offline power mode for the media controller. In the offline power mode, the media controller 144 may constantly monitor the storage drive conditions at the reduced level of the offline power mode, and periodically power on and refresh the nonvolatile bitcell array of the nonvolatile memory in the disconnected state as needed to retain data stored in the array.

Another determination (block 330, FIG. 6) is made as to whether the disconnected state of the component has been detected. In the example of FIG. 2, the detector 156 detects whether there has been a restoration of wire conducted power. Such a restoration may occur by a re-connection of the component 104 to the system 10 or to a wire type power supply for example, upon completion of storage or shipment, for example. A restoration of wire conducted power may also occur as a result of turning on the system 10 or wire type power supply to which the component is physically and electrically connected.

If the disconnected state is not detected (block 330, FIG. 6) by the detector 156, that is, the detector 156 detects that the storage drive 104 is in the connected state and external wire conducted power has been restored to the storage drive 104, the mode selection logic 148 of the power controller 146 exits (block 334, FIG. 6) the offline power mode and enters the wire conducted power mode. As set forth, in the wire conducted power mode and in the connected state, the storage drive 104 receives (block 304, FIG. 6) wire conducted power through an external power connector of the connectors 120, to provide sufficient power at the full level of the wire conducted power mode, for the media controller 144 to perform full memory operations to read, write and refresh data stored in the nonvolatile bitcell array 140 of the nonvolatile memory 108 in the connected state. Conversely, if the disconnected state is detected (block 330, FIG. 6) , the storage drive 104 continues to periodically receive (block 324, FIG. 6) wirelessly transmitted power using the wireless charging coil 114 of the on-board wireless power receiver 112, to provide sufficient power at the reduced level of the offline power mode, for the media controller 144 to perform refresh operations to retain data stored in the nonvolatile bitcell array 140 of the nonvolatile memory 108 in the disconnected state.

FIG. 7 depicts another example of operations of a nonvolatile storage memory component employing an on-board wireless power receiver in accordance with the present description. In this example, the component is the solid state drive 104 which is initially in the offline power mode and in the disconnected state, such that the storage drive 104 receives (block 350, FIG. 7) when available, wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless charging coil 114 of the on-board wireless power receiver 112. Also in this example, the wirelessly transmitted power includes a charger identification. In this embodiment, the wireless charger 210 (FIG. 5) includes charger identification encoder logic 354 configured to encode an identification code or other identification of the charger which is wirelessly transmitting power to the solid state drive 104. In one embodiment, the charger identification may take the form of a code which is encoded in the wireless power signal using suitable encoding techniques, such as frequency modulation, amplitude modulation, duty cycle modulation or other techniques by which the wireless charger 210 may wirelessly transmit the charger identification with the wireless power signal. In addition to encoding the charger identification within the wireless power signal, it is appreciated that a charger identification may be wirelessly transmitted by the charger 210 to the drive 104 in a separate wireless signal.

The wireless power receiver 112 (FIG. 2) on-board the storage drive 104 includes charger identification logic 160 configured to detect (block 360, FIG. 7) a charger identification encoded in or otherwise accompanying the wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless power receiver and perform an authentication process. For example, the charger identification logic 160 may compare (block 360) the received charger identification to a list of certified or authorized charger identifications to determine (block 360) if the received charger identification is on the list and thus whether the detected charger identification is authorized. If the detected charger identification matches an authorized charger identification on the list, it is deemed that the detected charger identification is authorized and that an authorized user is powering the drive 104 in the offline power mode. Accordingly, security logic 164 is configured to permit (block 364, FIG. 7) the media controller 144 to refresh and retain the data stored in the bitcell array using the wirelessly transmitted power at the reduced power level of the offline power mode in the disconnected state.

Conversely, if the detected charger identification does not match an authorized charger identification code, an unauthorized user may have moved the drive 104 to an unauthorized location and may be powering the drive 104 using an unauthorized wireless charger in an attempt to move the storage drive 104 to an unauthorized place. Accordingly, the security logic 164 is configured to, in response to comparison of a detected charger identification code with a list of authorized charger identification codes, to take appropriate security measures (block 370, FIG. 7) such as causing the media controller 144 to disable charging, disable read and write operations, or erase data stored in the memory of the storage drive 104 if the detected charger identification does not match an authorized charger identification code. It is appreciated that other security measures may be taken, depending upon the particular application.

A nonvolatile storage memory component having an on-board wireless power receiver has been described herein in connection with a solid state drive such as the drive 104. However, it is appreciated that a nonvolatile storage memory component having an on-board wireless power receiver in accordance with the present description may be implemented in other types of system components such as a memory module. For example, FIG. 1 depicts a nonvolatile dual-in-line memory module (DIMM) 40a of the memory 40 in the connected state, connected to the system 10 using suitable external connectors of the DIMM 40a. The DIMM 40a may be disconnected from the system 10 and shipped or stored in a disconnected state in which power is wirelessly transmitted to a wireless power receiver on -board the DIMM 40a which receives the wirelessly transmitted power to perform refresh operations to retain data stored in a nonvolatile bitcell array of the DIMM 40a at a reduced power level of the offline power mode. Other types of nonvolatile storage memory components may have an on-board wireless power receiver in accordance with the present description, depending upon the particular application.

It is seen from the above, that a nonvolatile storage memory component employing an on-board wireless power receiver in accordance with the present disclosure may reduce or eliminate the loss of data when the component is in a disconnected state in which the component is disconnected from a source of wire conducted power. Other aspects and advantages may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Examples

The following examples pertain to further embodiments.

Example 1 is an apparatus, comprising:

a nonvolatile storage memory component which includes a memory having:

an array of nonvolatile bitcells configured to store data in a persistent manner,

a wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, and configured to receive in a disconnected state of the nonvolatile storage memory component, wirelessly transmitted power, and

refresh logic configured to refresh the array of nonvolatile bitcells using wirelessly transmitted power in the disconnected state of the nonvolatile storage memory component to retain data stored in the array of nonvolatile bitcells.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the nonvolatile storage memory component further includes housing configured to house the memory, and wherein the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, includes a wireless charging coil disposed within the housing of the nonvolatile storage memory component.

In Example 3, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include housing configured to house the memory wherein the housing includes external connectors including an external power connector configured to receive wire conducted power, the apparatus further comprising:

a wire conducted power loss detector of the nonvolatile storage memory component, configured to detect an absence of wire conducted power applied to the external power connector of the external connectors of the nonvolatile storage memory component in the disconnected state, and

mode selection logic configured to in response to the wire conducted power loss detector, exit a wire conducted power mode in which power is provided to the memory at a first level for memory operations and enter an offline power mode to provide to the memory a reduced level of power as compared to the wire conducted power mode, using received wirelessly transmitted power to retain data storage in the memory.

In Example 4, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include a shipping container configured to receive the nonvolatile storage memory component in a disconnected state, the shipping container having an on-board portable wireless charger configured to wirelessly transmit power to the nonvolatile storage memory component received in the container in the disconnected state.

In Example 5, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the on-board portable wireless charger includes a charger identification logic configured to encode a charger identification code in the wirelessly transmitted power.

In Example 6, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component includes charger identification logic configured to detect a charger identification accompanying the wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless power receiver and perform an authentication procedure to determine whether the detected charger identification is an authorized charger identification.

In Example 7, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the memory includes security logic configured to, in response to a determination that the detected charger identification is not an authorized charger identification, to at least one of disable read and write operations and erase data stored in the memory of the nonvolatile storage memory component if the detected charger identification does not match an authorized charger identification.

In Example 8, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include a system, said system comprising:

a central processing unit,

said nonvolatile storage memory component, and

at least one of a display communicatively coupled to the processor, a network interface communicatively coupled to the central processing unit, and a battery coupled to provide power to the system.

Example 9 is a method for use with a system having connectors configured for electrically connecting the system to external connectors of components of the system in a connected state, comprising:

wirelessly transmitting power from a wireless power transmitter of a charger to a wireless power receiver on-board a nonvolatile storage memory component in a disconnected state,

receiving by the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, the wirelessly transmitted power, and

refreshing bitcells of a nonvolatile storage memory of the nonvolatile storage memory component using received wirelessly transmitted power to retain data stored in the nonvolatile storage memory while the nonvolatile storage memory component is in the disconnected state.

In Example 10, the subject matter of Examples 9-16 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein receiving wirelessly transmitted power includes receiving wirelessly transmitted power using a wireless charging coil disposed within a housing of the nonvolatile storage memory component.

In Example 11, the subject matter of Examples 9-16 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include:

detecting by a wire conducted power loss detector of the nonvolatile storage memory component, an absence of wire conducted power applied to an external power connector of external connectors of a housing the nonvolatile storage memory component, in the disconnected state, and

exiting a wire conducted power mode in which power is provided at a first level for memory operations and entering an offline power mode to provide power at a reduced level as compared to the first level, using received wirelessly transmitted power to retain data stored in the memory.

In Example 12, the subject matter of Examples 9-16 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the wirelessly transmitting power includes the wireless power transmitter wirelessly transmitting a charger identification with the wirelessly transmitted power wherein the charger identification identifies the charger of the wireless power transmitter wirelessly transmitting the wireless power and the charger identification.

In Example 13, the subject matter of Examples 9-16 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include detecting by charger identification logic of the nonvolatile storage memory component, a transmitted charger identification of the charger, and performing an authentication procedure to determine whether a detected charger identification is an authorized charger identification.

In Example 14, the subject matter of Examples 9-16 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include at least one of disabling read and write operations and erasing data stored in the memory of the nonvolatile storage memory component if the detected charger identification is determined to not be an authorized charger identification.

In Example 15, the subject matter of Examples 9-16 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the nonvolatile storage memory component is stored in a storage container in a disconnected in which external connectors of the nonvolatile storage memory component are disconnected from system connectors, when receiving wirelessly transmitted power using the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component.

In Example 16, the subject matter of Examples 9-16 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the wirelessly transmitting power includes wirelessly transmitting power from the wireless power transmitter of the charger which is on-board the storage container.

Example 17 is an apparatus comprising means to perform a method as claimed in any preceding claim.

Example 18 is a system, comprising:

a central processing unit,

a nonvolatile storage memory component configured to be physically and electrically connected to the system in a connected state and to be physically disconnected from the system in a disconnected state, and

a power supply configured to supply wire conducted power to the central processing unit and the nonvolatile storage memory component in the connected state,

wherein the nonvolatile storage memory component includes a nonvolatile memory having:

In Example 19, the subject matter of Examples 18-25 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the nonvolatile storage memory component further includes housing configured to house the memory, and wherein the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, includes a wireless charging coil disposed within the housing of the nonvolatile storage memory component.

In Example 20, the subject matter of Examples 18-25 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include housing configured to house the memory wherein the housing includes external connectors including an external power connector configured to receive wire conducted power, the system further comprising:

In Example 21, the subject matter of Examples 18-25 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include a shipping container configured to receive the nonvolatile storage memory component in a disconnected state, the shipping container having an on-board portable wireless charger configured to wirelessly transmit power to the nonvolatile storage memory component received in the container in the disconnected state.

In Example 22, the subject matter of Examples 18-25 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the on-board portable wireless charger includes a charger identification logic configured to encode a charger identification code in the wirelessly transmitted power.

In Example 23, the subject matter of Examples 18-25 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component includes charger identification logic configured to detect a charger identification accompanying the wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless power receiver and perform an authentication procedure to determine whether the detected charger identification is an authorized charger identification.

In Example 24, the subject matter of Examples 18-25 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the memory includes security logic configured to, in response to a determination that the detected charger identification is not an authorized charger identification, to at least one of disable read and write operations and erase data stored in the memory of the nonvolatile storage memory component if the detected charger identification does not match am authorized charger identification.

In Example 25, the subject matter of Examples 18-25 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include at least one of: a display communicatively coupled to the central processing unit, a network interface communicatively coupled to the central processing unit, and a battery coupled to provide power to the system.

Example 26 is an apparatus, comprising:

a nonvolatile storage memory component which includes a memory having:

a wireless power receiver means on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, and configured for receiving in a disconnected state of the nonvolatile storage memory component, wirelessly transmitted power, and

refresh logic means configured for refreshing the array of nonvolatile bitcells using wirelessly transmitted power in the disconnected state of the nonvolatile storage memory component to retain data stored in the array of nonvolatile bitcells.

In Example 27, the subject matter of Examples 26-33 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the nonvolatile storage memory component further includes housing means configured for housing the memory, and wherein the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, includes a wireless charging coil disposed within the housing means of the nonvolatile storage memory component.

In Example 28, the subject matter of Examples 26-33 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include housing means configured for housing the memory wherein the housing means includes external connector means including an external power connector configured for receiving wire conducted power, the apparatus further comprising:

a wire conducted power loss detector means of the nonvolatile storage memory component, configured for detecing an absence of wire conducted power applied to the external power connector of the external connector means of the nonvolatile storage memory component in the disconnected state, and

mode selection logic means configured for, in response to the wire conducted power loss detector means, exiting a wire conducted power mode in which power is provided to the memory at a first level for memory operations and enter an offline power mode to provide to the memory a reduced level of power as compared to the wire conducted power mode, using received wirelessly transmitted power to retain data storage in the memory.

In Example 29, the subject matter of Examples 26-33 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include a shipping container means configured for receiving the nonvolatile storage memory component in a disconnected state, the shipping container means having an on-board portable wireless charger means configured for wirelessly transmiting power to the nonvolatile storage memory component received in the container in the disconnected state.

In Example 30, the subject matter of Examples 26-33 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the on-board portable wireless charger means includes a charger identification logic means configured for encoding a charger identification code in the wirelessly transmitted power.

In Example 31, the subject matter of Examples 26-33 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the wireless power receiver means on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component includes charger identification logic means configured for detecing a charger identification accompanying the wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless power receiver and performing an authentication procedure to determine whether the detected charger identification is an authorized charger identification.

In Example 32, the subject matter of Examples 26-33 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include wherein the memory includes security logic means configured for, in response to a determination that the detected charger identification is not an authorized charger identification, at least one of disabling read and write operations and erasing data stored in the memory of the nonvolatile storage memory component if the detected charger identification does not match an authorized charger identification.

In Example 33, the subject matter of Examples 26-33 (excluding the present Example) can optionally include a system, said system comprising:

a central processing unit,

said nonvolatile storage memory component, and

The described operations may be implemented as a method, apparatus or computer program product using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. The described operations may be implemented as computer program code maintained in a “computer readable storage medium” , where a processor may read and execute the code from the computer storage readable medium. The computer readable storage medium includes at least one of electronic circuitry, storage materials, inorganic materials, organic materials, biological materials, a casing, a housing, a coating, and hardware. A computer readable storage medium may comprise, but is not limited to, a magnetic storage medium (e.g., hard disk drives, floppy disks, tape, etc. ) , optical storage (CD-ROMs, DVDs, optical disks, etc. ) , volatile and nonvolatile memory devices (e.g., EEPROMs, ROMs, PROMs, RAMs, DRAMs, SRAMs, Flash Memory, firmware, programmable logic, etc. ) , Solid State Devices (SSD) , etc. The code implementing the described operations may further be implemented in hardware logic implemented in a hardware device (e.g., an integrated circuit chip, Programmable Gate Array (PGA) , Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) , etc. ) . Still further, the code implementing the described operations may be implemented in “transmission signals” , where transmission signals may propagate through space or through a transmission media, such as an optical fiber, copper wire, etc. The transmission signals in which the code or logic is encoded may further comprise a wireless signal, satellite transmission, radio waves, infrared signals, Bluetooth, etc. The program code embedded on a computer readable storage medium may be transmitted as transmission signals from a transmitting station or computer to a receiving station or computer. A computer readable storage medium is not comprised solely of transmissions signals. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope of the present description, and that the article of manufacture may comprise suitable information bearing medium known in the art. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope of the present description, and that the article of manufacture may comprise any tangible information bearing medium known in the art.

In certain applications, a device in accordance with the present description, may be embodied in a computer system including a video controller to render information to display on a monitor or other display coupled to the computer system, a device driver and a network controller, such as a computer system comprising a desktop, workstation, server, mainframe, laptop, handheld computer, etc. Alternatively, the device embodiments may be embodied in a computing device that does not include, for example, a video controller, such as a switch, router, etc., or does not include a network controller, for example.

The illustrated logic of figures may show certain events occurring in a certain order. In alternative embodiments, certain operations may be performed in a different order, modified or removed. Moreover, operations may be added to the above described logic and still conform to the described embodiments. Further, operations described herein may occur sequentially or certain operations may be processed in parallel. Yet further, operations may be performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.

The foregoing description of various embodiments has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

Claims

An apparatus, comprising:

a nonvolatile storage memory component which includes a memory having:

an array of nonvolatile bitcells configured to store data in a persistent manner；

a wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, and configured to receive in a disconnected state of the nonvolatile storage memory component, wirelessly transmitted power； and

refresh logic configured to refresh the array of nonvolatile bitcells using wirelessly transmitted power in the disconnected state of the nonvolatile storage memory component to retain data stored in the array of nonvolatile bitcells.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the nonvolatile storage memory component further includes housing configured to house the memory, and wherein the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, includes a wireless charging coil disposed within the housing of the nonvolatile storage memory component.
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising housing configured to house the memory wherein the housing includes external connectors including an external power connector configured to receive wire conducted power, the apparatus further comprising:

a wire conducted power loss detector of the nonvolatile storage memory component, configured to detect an absence of wire conducted power applied to the external power connector of the external connectors of the nonvolatile storage memory component in the disconnected state； and

mode selection logic configured to in response to the wire conducted power loss detector, exit a wire conducted power mode in which power is provided to the memory at a first level for memory operations and enter an offline power mode to provide to the memory a reduced level of power as compared to the wire conducted power mode, using received wirelessly transmitted power to retain data storage in the memory.
The apparatus of any claim of claims 1-3 further comprising a shipping container configured to receive the nonvolatile storage memory component in a disconnected state, the shipping container having an on-board portable wireless charger configured to wirelessly transmit power to the nonvolatile storage memory component received in the container in the disconnected state.
The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the on-board portable wireless charger includes a charger identification logic configured to encode a charger identification code in the wirelessly transmitted power.
The apparatus of any claim of claims 1-3 wherein the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component includes charger identification logic configured to detect a charger identification accompanying the wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless power receiver and perform an authentication procedure to determine whether the detected charger identification is an authorized charger identification.
The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the memory includes security logic configured to, in response to a determination that the detected charger identification is not an authorized charger identification, to at least one of disable read and write operations and erase data stored in the memory of the nonvolatile storage memory component if the detected charger identification does not match an authorized charger identification.
A method for use with a system having connectors configured for electrically connecting the system to external connectors of components of the system in a connected state, comprising:

wirelessly transmitting power from a wireless power transmitter of a charger to a wireless power receiver on-board a nonvolatile storage memory component in a disconnected state；

receiving by the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, the wirelessly transmitted power； and

refreshing bitcells of a nonvolatile storage memory of the nonvolatile storage memory component using received wirelessly transmitted power to retain data stored in the nonvolatile storage memory while the nonvolatile storage memory component is in the disconnected state.
The method of claim 8 wherein receiving wirelessly transmitted power includes receiving wirelessly transmitted power using a wireless charging coil disposed within a housing of the nonvolatile storage memory component.
The method of claim 8 further comprising:

detecting by a wire conducted power loss detector of the nonvolatile storage memory component, an absence of wire conducted power applied to an external power connector of external connectors of a housing the nonvolatile storage memory component, in the disconnected state； and

exiting a wire conducted power mode in which power is provided at a first level for memory operations and entering an offline power mode to provide power at a reduced level as compared to the first level, using received wirelessly transmitted power to retain data stored in the memory.
The method of any claim of claims 8-10 wherein the wirelessly transmitting power includes the wireless power transmitter wirelessly transmitting a charger identification with the wirelessly transmitted power wherein the charger identification identifies the charger of the wireless power transmitter wirelessly transmitting the wireless power and the charger identification.
The method any claim of claims 8-10 further including detecting by charger identification logic of the nonvolatile storage memory component, a transmitted charger identification of the charger, and performing an authentication procedure to determine whether a detected charger identification is an authorized charger identification.
The method of claim 12 further comprising at least one of disabling read and write operations and erasing data stored in the memory of the nonvolatile storage memory component if the detected charger identification is determined to not be an authorized charger identification.
The method any claim of claims 8-10 wherein the nonvolatile storage memory component is stored in a storage container in a disconnected in which external connectors of the nonvolatile storage memory component are disconnected from system connectors, when receiving wirelessly transmitted power using the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component.
The method of claim 14 wherein the wirelessly transmitting power includes wirelessly transmitting power from the wireless power transmitter of the charger which is on-board the storage container.
A system, comprising:

a central processing unit；

a nonvolatile storage memory component configured to be physically and electrically connected to the system in a connected state and to be physically disconnected from the system in a disconnected state； and

a power supply configured to supply wire conducted power to the central processing unit and the nonvolatile storage memory component in the connected state；

wherein the nonvolatile storage memory component includes a nonvolatile memory having:

an array of nonvolatile bitcells configured to store data in a persistent manner；

a wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, and configured to receive in a disconnected state of the nonvolatile storage memory component, wirelessly transmitted power； and

refresh logic configured to refresh the array of nonvolatile bitcells using wirelessly transmitted power in the disconnected state of the nonvolatile storage memory component to retain data stored in the array of nonvolatile bitcells.
The system of claim 16 wherein the nonvolatile storage memory component further includes housing configured to house the memory, and wherein the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component, includes a wireless charging coil disposed within the housing of the nonvolatile storage memory component.
The system of claim 16 further comprising housing configured to house the memory wherein the housing includes external connectors including an external power connector configured to receive wire conducted power, the system further comprising:

a wire conducted power loss detector of the nonvolatile storage memory component, configured to detect an absence of wire conducted power applied to the external power connector of the external connectors of the nonvolatile storage memory component in the disconnected state； and

mode selection logic configured to in response to the wire conducted power loss detector, exit a wire conducted power mode in which power is provided to the memory at a first level for memory operations and enter an offline power mode to provide to the memory a reduced level of power as compared to the wire conducted power mode, using received wirelessly transmitted power to retain data storage in the memory.
The system of any claim of claims 16-18 further comprising a shipping container configured to receive the nonvolatile storage memory component in a disconnected state, the shipping container having an on-board portable wireless charger configured to wirelessly transmit power to the nonvolatile storage memory component received in the container in the disconnected state.
The system of claim 19 wherein the on-board portable wireless charger includes a charger identification logic configured to encode a charger identification code in the wirelessly transmitted power.
The system of of any claim of claims 16-18 wherein the wireless power receiver on-board the nonvolatile storage memory component includes charger identification logic configured to detect a charger identification accompanying the wirelessly transmitted power received by the wireless power receiver and perform an authentication procedure to determine whether the detected charger identification is an authorized charger identification.
The system of claim 21 wherein the memory includes security logic configured to, in response to a determination that the detected charger identification is not an authorized charger identification, to at least one of disable read and write operations and erase data stored in the memory of the nonvolatile storage memory component if the detected charger identification does not match am authorized charger identification.
The system of claim 16 further comprising at least one of: a display communicatively coupled to the central processing unit, a network interface communicatively coupled to the central processing unit, and a battery coupled to provide power to the system.