Memory allocation method for reducing memory fragmenting

• US 20070204127A1
• Filed: 02/22/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BenQ Corporation (Qisda Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BenQ Corporation (Qisda Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Chih-Wei, Lin, Angelo
• Application Number:
  US11/709,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20070204127A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/023 Free address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory

Abstract

A memory allocation method comprises: providing a memory, wherein a memory block of the memory has a first side and a second side; providing a memory controller; determining a memory allocation direction, wherein the first side is a starting point of a first allocation direction when the memory allocation direction is the first allocation direction and the second side is a starting point of a second allocation direction when the memory allocation direction is the second allocation direction; the memory controller allocates a part of the memory for a client program according to a corresponding memory allocation direction.

Claims

1. A memory allocation method for a memory having a first side and a second side, comprising:

receiving a request for an application program;

determining an allocation direction of the application program by searching a memory allocation lookup table; and

wherein the allocation direction being selectively the first side and the second side.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising building the memory allocation lookup table.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of building the memory allocation lookup table further comprises:

detecting a plurality of usage times of a plurality of application programs;

determining a predetermined time based on the usage time periods;

when the usage time of the application program exceeds the predetermined time, the allocation direction is the first side; and

when the usage time of the application program does not exceed the predetermined time, the allocation direction is the second side.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined time is an average of the usage time periods.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined time is a median of the usage time periods

6. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein if a memory allocation direction of a first application program is not found in the memory allocation lookup table, the memory allocation direction begins at the second side.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

recording the usage time of the first application program;

determining an adjusted predetermined time based on the usage times and the usage time of the first application program;

determining a memory allocation direction of the first application program by comparing the usage time of the first application with the adjusted predetermined time; and

adding the first application program and the corresponding memory allocation direction in the memory allocation lookup table.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the adjusted predetermined time is an average time of the usage times and the usage time of the first application program.

9. A memory allocation system, comprising:

a memory having a first side and a second side;

a memory allocation lookup table; and

a memory controller for searching a memory allocation direction of a application program in the memory allocation lookup table, wherein the memory allocation direction selectively begins at the first side and the second side.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the memory allocation lookup table records a plurality of application programs and corresponding memory allocation direction.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein when the usage time of the application program exceeds the predetermined time, the allocation direction is the first side, and when the usage time of the application program does not exceed the predetermined time, the allocation direction is the second side.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the memory controller allocates a memory block beginning at the first side of the application program whose memory allocation direction begins at the first side, and the memory controller allocates a memory block beginning at the second side of the application program whose memory allocation direction begins at the second side.

13. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein when the memory allocation direction of the application program is not found in the memory allocation lookup table, the memory allocation direction begins at the second side.

14. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein a method for building the memory allocation lookup table comprises:

detecting a plurality of usage times of a plurality of application programs;

determining a predetermined time based on the usage time periods;

when the usage time of the application program exceeds the predetermined time, the allocation direction is the first side; and

when the usage time of the application program does not exceed the predetermined time, the allocation direction is the second side.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein if a memory allocation direction of a first application program is not found in the memory allocation lookup table, a predetermined memory allocation direction is applied.

16. The system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

recording the usage time of the first application program;

determining an adjusted predetermined time based on the usage times and the usage time of the first application program;

determining a memory allocation direction of the first application program by comparing the usage time of the first application with the adjusted predetermined time; and

adding the first application program and the corresponding memory allocation direction in the memory allocation lookup table.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the adjusted predetermined time is an average time of the usage times and the usage time of the first application program.

18. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first side begins at a relative most significant bit and the second side begins at a relative least significant bit.

19. A memory allocation method for a memory having a first side and a second side, comprising:

receiving a memory allocation request of an application program;

determining an allocation direction of the application program by a usage index of the application program; and

wherein the allocation direction being selectively the first side and the second side.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, the method further comprising:

detecting a plurality of usage times of a plurality of application programs;

determining a predetermined time;

determining the usage index of the application program according to a usage time of the application program and the predetermined time;

when the usage time of the application program exceeds the predetermined time, the usage index of the application program is the first side; and

when the usage time of the application program does not exceed the predetermined time, the usage index of the application program is the second side.