APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING DEVICE IDENTIFIERS FOR SERIALLY INTERCONNECTED DEVICES OF MIXED TYPE

• US 20110032932A2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NovaChips Canada Inc. (NovaChips Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mosaid Technologies Incorporated (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Inventors: OH, HakJune, PYEON, Hong Beom, KIM, Jin-Ki, SUMI, Shuji
• Granted Patent: US 8,331,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389.000
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4243 with synchronous protocol

Abstract

A plurality of memory devices of mixed type (e.g., DRAMs, SRAMs, MRAMs, and NAND-, NOR- and AND-type Flash memories) are serially interconnected. Each device has device type information on its device type. A specific device type (DT) and a device identifier (ID) contained in a serial input (SI) as a packet are fed to one device of the serial interconnection. The device determines whether the fed DT matches the DT of the device. In a case of match, a calculator included in the device performs calculation to generate an ID for another device and the fed ID is latched in a register of the device. In a case of no-match, the ID generation is skipped and no ID is generated for another device. The DT is combined with the generated or the received ID depending on the device type match determination. The combined DT and ID is as a packet transferred to a next device. Such a device type match determination and ID generation or skip are performed in all devices of the serial interconnection. With reference to device type provided to the interconnected devices, IDs are sequentially generated. The SI containing the DT, the ID and an ID generation command is transmitted in a packet basis to a next device.

Claims

1. A method for producing a device identifier (ID) for a device, comprising:

receiving a device type (DT) and an input ID;

determining the DT of the device in response to the received DT;

outputting an output ID in accordance with a determination result; and

providing the output ID accompanying the received DT to an other device, the devices being interconnected to each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises:

comparing the received DT with device type information (DTI) associated with the device to provide the determination result.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of outputting comprises:

performing a calculation based on the received ID to provide an altered ID.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of outputting further comprises:

selecting one of the altered ID and a non-altered ID in response to the determination result, the non-altered ID being the received ID, thereby outputting a selected ID as the output ID.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of providing comprises:

combining the selected ID and the received DT, the combined ID and DT being provided to the other device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

sending the combined DT and ID in a packet.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of receiving comprises:

receiving the DT and the input ID in a packet.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the step of combining comprises combining an ID production command, the selected ID and the received DT;

the step of sending comprises sending the combined command, DT and ID in a packet; and

the step of receiving comprises receiving an ID production command, the DT and the input ID in a packet.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of performing comprises:

adding a pre-determined value to the received ID to provide the altered ID.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of performing comprises:

subtracting a pre-determined value from the received ID to provide the altered ID.

11. An apparatus for use in a device, comprising:

a receiver for receiving a device type (DT) and a device identifier (ID);

a determiner for determining the DT of the device from the received DT;

an ID provider for outputting an ID in accordance with a determination result; and

an output provider for providing the outputted ID accompanying the received DT to another device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a device type provider for providing device type information (DTI) associated with the device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the determiner comprises:

a comparator for comparing the received DT with the provided DTI to provide the determination result.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the ID provider comprises:

an arithmetic operator for performing a calculation or non-calculation of the received ID with a pre-defined value to provide a calculated ID or a non-calculated ID as the outputted ID.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the comparator comprises:

a DT match detector for detecting a match between the received DT and the provided DTI, thereby providing a match determination result when there is a match therebetween,

the calculated ID being selected as the outputted ID in response to the match determination result,

the non-calculated ID being selected as the outputted ID in response to a no-match determination result.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the arithmetic operator comprises:

a calculator for calculating the received ID with the pre-defined value.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the calculator comprises:

an adder for adding one to the received ID.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the calculator comprises:

a subtractor for subtracting one from the received ID.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the output provider comprises:

an ID-device type provider for outputting the outputted ID accompanying the received DT to an other device, the device and the other device being interconnected to each other.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein:

the outputted ID and the DT are provided in a parallel manner; and

the output provider comprises first and second holders,

the first holder registering the parallel ID and outputting the ID in a serial manner,

the second holder registering the parallel DT and outputting the DT in a serial manner.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the output provider further comprises:

a serial data combiner for combining the serial ID and DT to provide a combined serial ID and DT as the ID accompanying the received DT.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:

the device is one of a plurality of devices of mixed type, the devices being serially interconnected.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the serial data combiner comprises:

a data processor for combining an ID production command, the DT and the ID in a packet, the packet being sent to the other device.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the receiver comprises:

a packet receiver for receiving an ID production command, the DT and the input ID in a packet.

25. An apparatus for assigning a device identifier at a first device coupled to a second device in a serial interconnection configuration of devices of mixed type, the first device having a serial input connection coupled to a serial output connection of a previous device in the serial interconnection configuration, the second device having a serial input connection coupled to a serial output connection of the first device, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a device identifier (ID) and a device type (DT), the ID and DT being provided through the serial input connection of the device;

a determiner for determining the DT of the device from the received DT;

an ID provider for outputting an ID in accordance with a determination result; and

an output provider for providing the outputted ID accompanying the received DT to an other device.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the ID provider comprises:

an arithmetic operator for performing arithmetic operation with the received ID and a pre-defined value to produce an ID.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

a device type provider for providing device type information (DTI) associated with the device.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the determiner comprises:

a comparator for comparing the received DT with the provided DTI to provide the determination result.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the ID provider further comprises:

a selector for selecting the received ID or the produced ID in response to the determination result, the selected ID being provided as the outputted ID.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the receiver comprises:

a serial to parallel holder for;

receiving the received ID and DT in a serial manner; and

outputting each of the registered ID and DT in a parallel manner,

the parallel ID being provided to the arithmetic operator and the selector.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the device type provider comprises:

a storage for storing the DTI on the type of the device and providing the DTI for the determination.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the output provider comprises:

a combiner for combining the received DT and the selected ID; and

a device type-ID provider for outputting the combined DT and ID.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the combiner comprises:

a parallel to serial holder for;

receiving the DT and ID in a parallel manner; and

outputting the parallel DT and ID in a serial manner; and

an output combiner for combining the serial DT and ID, the combined DT and ID being provided through the serial output connection of the device.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the combiner comprises:

a data combiner for combining an ID production command, the selected ID and the received DT.

35. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the arithmetic operator comprises:

an adder for adding the pre-defined value to the received ID.

36. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the arithmetic operator comprises:

a subtractor for subtracting the pre-defined value to the received ID.

37. A method for assigning a device identifier (ID) for one of a plurality of devices of mixed type in a serial interconnection configuration, a first device having a serial input connection coupled to a serial output connection of a previous device, a second device having a serial input connection coupled to a serial output connection of the first device, the method being adopted to at least one of the devices, the method comprising:

receiving an input ID and a device type (DT) through the serial input connection of the device;

determining the DT of the device from the received DT;

outputting an output ID in response to a determination result; and

providing a combination of the received DT and the outputted ID.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of determining comprises:

match determining whether the received DT matches a reference DT associated with the device.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

providing device type information (DTI) associated with the device as the reference DT.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the step of match determining comprises:

comparing the received DT with the provided DTI to provide the determination result.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the step of outputting comprises:

performing the calculation of the received ID with a pre-defined value.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the step of outputting further comprises:

selecting one of the received ID and the calculated ID in response to the determination result, the selected ID being outputted through the output connection of the device.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the step of providing the combination of DT and ID comprises:

combining the received DT and the selected ID; and

outputting the combined DT and ID to another device.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

assigning the calculated ID for registration in the device.

45. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

assigning the received ID for registration in the device.

46. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of providing the combination of the DT and ID comprises:

combining the DT and the ID in a serial manner to provide the combined serial DT and ID, the combined serial ID and DT being provided through the serial output connection of the device.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

combining an ID production command, the DT and the ID; and

sending the combined command, DT and ID in a packet to the other device.

48. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of receiving comprises:

receiving an ID production command, the DT and the input ID in a packet.

49. A method for assigning a device identifier (ID) for a plurality of devices of mixed type in a serial interconnection configuration, a first device having a serial input connection coupled to a serial output connection of a previous device, a second device having a serial input connection coupled to a serial output connection of the first device, the method comprising:

receiving a device type (DT) and an input ID through the serial input connection;

holding the received DT at a device;

determining whether the received DT matches a reference DT associated with the device;

obtaining a calculated ID or a non-calculated ID in response to a determination result;

combining the received DT with the calculated or non-calculated ID;

providing the combined DT and ID through the serial output connection of the device; and

performing an ID assignment in response to the determination result at the device.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the step of providing the combined DT and ID comprises:

providing the ID accompanying the DT in a serial manner through the serial output connection to an other device.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising:

providing an ID production command, the DT and the ID in a packet to the other device.

52. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

adjusting an output latency for avoiding overlap between the steps of receiving and providing.