TIME MULTIPLEXING AT DIFFERENT RATES TO ACCESS DIFFERENT MEMORY TYPES

• US 20160019171A1
• Filed: 09/26/2015
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Shaeffer, Ian
• Granted Patent: US 9,864,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1694 Configuration of memory controller to different memory types
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/287 Multiplexed DMA G06F13/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/3625 using a time dependent access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4221 being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4234 being a memory bus

Abstract

A memory controller accesses different types of memory devices running at different native rates through the use of a time division multiplexed bus. Data is transferred over the bus at one rate when accessing one type of memory device and at a different rate when accessing another type of memory device. In addition, the memory controller may provide control information (e.g., command and address information) to the different types of memory devices at different rates and, in some cases, time multiplex the control information on a shared bus.

Claims

1. A memory system, comprising:

a signal bus;

a plurality of memory devices of different types coupled in parallel to the signal bus; and

,

a component coupled to the signal bus, and configured to time division multiplex data for the different types of memory devices on the signal bus such that the data is output on the signal bus at different clock rates for the different types of memory devices.

2. The memory system of claim 1, wherein:

the different types of memory devices are configured to use different instruction protocols to conduct data transfers on the signal bus; and

,

the component is further configured to select one of the different instruction protocols to provide control signals for a given one of the data transfers based on a mapping that maps the different types of memory devices to the different instruction protocols.

3. The memory system of claim 1, wherein:

the component is further configured to provide a first clock signal at a first one of the clock rates to a first type of memory device of the different types of memory devices and a second clock signal at a second one of the clock rates to a second type of memory device of the different types of memory devices;

the first clock rate comprises a first native clock rate associated with the first type of memory device;

the second clock rate comprises a second native clock rate associated with the second type of memory device; and

,

the first native clock rate is different than the second native clock rate.

4. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the memory component is further configured to provide different clock signals for outputting the data at the different clock rates based on at least one clock signal that is received by the memory component.

5. The memory system of claim 4, wherein the at least one clock signal comprises a first clock signal at a first one of the clock rates received from a first type of memory device of the different types of memory devices and a second clock signal at a second one of the clock rates received from a second type of memory device of the different types of memory devices.

6. The memory system of claim 1, wherein:

a first type of memory device of the plurality of different types of memory devices is configured to transmit and receive over the signal bus at a first one of the clock rates;

a second type of memory device of the plurality of different types of memory devices is configured to transmit and receive over the signal bus at a second one of the clock rates; and

,

the first clock rate is an integer multiple of the second clock rate.

7. The memory system of claim 6, wherein the component is further configured to:

provide first write data at the first clock rate for write operations directed to the first type of memory device; and

,

provide second write data at the first clock rate for write operations directed to the second type of memory device, wherein the second write data includes data that is repeated over a plurality of consecutive clock cycles at the first clock rate to provide data at the second clock rate.

8. The memory system of claim 7, wherein the memory component is further configured to:

output the first write data at the first clock rate on the signal bus by outputting each instance of the first write data for a single clock cycle based on the first clock rate; and

,

output the second write data at the second clock rate on the signal bus by outputting the data repeated over a plurality of consecutive clock cycles of the first clock rate during a single clock cycle based on the second clock rate.

9. The memory system of claim 6, wherein the component is further configured to:

sample first read data at the first clock rate during read operations from the first type of memory device;

sample second read data at the first clock rate during read operations from the second type of memory device, wherein the second read data includes data that is repeated over a plurality of consecutive clock cycles at the first clock rate to provide data at the second clock rate; and

,

process the sampled second read data to provide read data that does not include the data that is repeated over a plurality of consecutive clock cycles.

10. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the component is a memory controller.

11. A memory component, comprising:

a first interface configured to couple a first clock signal having a first clock rate to at least one memory device of a first type;

a second interface configured to couple a second clock signal having a second clock rate to at least one memory device of a second type; and

,

a third interface configured to time division multiplex data communicated with the first type of memory device and the second type of memory device such that the data is communicated via the third interface at different clock rates for the first type of memory device and the second type of memory device.

12. The memory component of claim 11, wherein:

the first type of memory device and the second type of memory device are configured to use different instruction protocols to conduct data transfers via the third interface; and

,

the component is further configured to select one of the different instruction protocols to provide control signals for a given one of the data transfers based on a mapping that maps the first type of memory device and the second type of memory device to the different instruction protocols.

13. The memory component of claim 11, wherein:

the first clock rate comprises a first native clock rate associated with the first type of memory device; and

,

the second clock rate comprises a second native clock rate associated with the second type of memory device.

14. The memory component of claim 11, wherein the memory component is further configured to provide the first clock signal at the first clock rate and the second clock signal at the second clock rate for communicating the data at the different clock rates based on at least one clock signal that is received by the memory component.

15. The memory component of claim 14, wherein the first clock signal is received from the first type of memory device at the first clock rate and the second clock signal is received from the second type of memory device at the second clock rate.

16. The memory component of claim 11, wherein:

the first type of memory device is configured to communicate at the first clock rate;

the second type of memory device is configured to communicate at the second clock rate; and

,

the first clock rate is an integer multiple of the second clock rate.

17. The memory component of claim 16, wherein the third interface is further configured to:

provide first write data at the first clock rate for write operations directed to the first type of memory device; and

,

provide second write data at the first clock rate for write operations directed to the second type of memory device, wherein the second write data includes data that is repeated over a plurality of consecutive clock cycles at the first clock rate to provide data at the second clock rate.

18. The memory component of claim 17, wherein the third interface is further configured to:

provide first write data at the first clock rate for write operations directed to the first type of memory device; and

,

provide second write data at the first clock rate for write operations directed to the second type of memory device, wherein the second write data includes data that is repeated over a plurality of consecutive clock cycles at the first clock rate to provide data at the second clock rate.

19. The memory component of claim 11, wherein the memory component comprises a memory controller.

20. A memory system, comprising:

means for transferring data over a shared signal bus in a time division multiplexed manner at different rates by providing a first clock signal having a first clock rate for a first set of data transfers and providing a second clock signal having a second clock rate for a second set of data transfers;

means for using the first clock signal during the first set of data transfers to transfer a first portion of the data between the shared signal bus and a first type of memory device of a plurality of memory devices of different types coupled in parallel to the signal bus; and

,

means for using the second clock signal during the second set of data transfers to transfer a second portion of the data between the shared signal bus and a second type of memory device of the different types of memory devices.