Memory cartridge

• US 4,984,193 A
• Filed: 12/29/1989
• Issued: 01/08/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Gareth D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KULIK, PAUL V
• Application Number:
  US07/459,323
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 711/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0623 for memory modules
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/005 comprising combined but independently operative RAM-ROM, RAM-PROM, RAM-EPROM cells
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/00 Details of stores covered by group G11C11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/066 Means for reducing external access-lines for a semiconductor memory clip, e.g. by multiplexing at least address and data signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/12 Group selection circuits, e.g. for memory block selection, chip selection, array selection

Abstract

A memory cartridge is loaded in a main unit of a personal computer when used. The memory cartridge comprises a case, and a printed circuit board which is installed therein and on which a large-capacity, one-chip ROM is mounted. Storage area of the one-chip ROM is divided into a plurality of banks respectively having memory addresses of a number accessible by a central processing unit of the main unit, and one specific bank among them is allocated to an address space accessible all the time by the central processing unit. Bank selecting data for selecting other banks is stored in that specific bank. The bank selecting data is read out with progress of a program stored in the specific bank, being loaded in a counter. The content of the counter is inputted to the most significant three bits of address of the one-chip ROM. The most significant three bits of the address function as bank designating bits. An arbitrary bank of the one-chip ROM is changed over at an arbitrary timing by the bank selecting data outputted from the other banks of the one-chip ROM.

Claims

1. A memory cartridge attachable to and detachable from a main unit including a computer, said main unit having a data bus, an address bus and a central processing unit, said memory cartridge comprising:

a circuit board having address lines and data lines attachable to said address bus and said data bus, respectively, when said cartridge is attached to said main unit;

a first memory mounted on said circuit board, said first memory being non-volatile and having address terminals connected to said address lines and data terminals connected to said data lines, said first memory having a predetermined storage capacity and being divided into a plurality of banks, each of said banks having a plurality of address locations, at least one of said banks storing bank selecting data for selecting other of said banks;

data holding means mounted on said circuit board for holding bank selecting data, said data holding means having at least one data input terminal connected to at least one of said data lines, and having at least one output terminal; and

conductive pattern means formed on said circuit board and connecting said at least one output terminal of said data holding means to a predetermined portion of said address terminals of said first memory;

wherein

said data holding means is loaded with bank selecting data that is read from said first memory in response to an enable signal for enabling said first memory and a read/write signal for accessing said first memory means both of which are received from said central processing unit, and said first memory includes means for reading out data stored in an address location that is addressed by said central processing unit in a bank that is selected by said bank selecting data that has been previously loaded into said data holding means.

2. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 1 wherein character data is stored as display data in at least portions of the banks of said first memory that are not adapted to store bank selecting data, said main unit is a video game machine, and said character data is data corresponding to game characters.

3. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 1, wherein a specific memory bank among said plurality of banks of said first memory is allocated to a first address space of said central processing unit and is accessible at all times by said central processing unit, said specific memory bank stores bank selecting data for the selection of a bank corresponding to a second address space accessible by said central processing unit, and

said data holding means selects a bank of said first memory for said second address space based on said bank selecting data sent from said first memory.

4. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 1, wherein said data holding means includes a semiconductor device which receives said bank selecting data from said first memory and sends a bank selection signal to said predetermined portion of said address terminals.

5. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 1, wherein said data holding means includes gating means which, when provided with an alternate bank select signal by said central processing unit designating a specific bank in said first memory, sends said alternate bank select signal to the most significant of said address terminals of said first memory, and when not provided with said alternative bank select signal, sends the output of said holding means to the most significant of said address terminals of said first memory.

6. A memory cartridge attachable to and detachable from a main unit including a computer, said main unit having a data bus, address bus, and a central processing unit, said memory cartridge comprising:

a circuit board having address lines and data lines attachable to said address bus and said data bus, respectively, when said cartridge is attached to said main unit;

a first memory mounted on said circuit board, said first memory being non-volatile and having address terminals connected to said address lines and data terminals connected to said data lines, said first memory having a predetermined storage capacity and being divided into a plurality of banks, each of said banks having a plurality of address locations, at least one of said banks storing bank selecting data for selecting other of said banks; and

data holding means for holding bank selecting data, said data holding means being mounted on said circuit board, said data holding means having a plurality of input terminals and a plurality of output terminals, said plurality of input terminals being connected to at least certain of said data lines and said plurality of output terminals being connected to a predetermined portion of said address terminals which are used to select any one of said plurality of banks of said first memory,

said data holding means being loaded with bank selecting data read from said first memory in response to an enable signal for enabling said first memory and a read/write signal for accessing said first memory means, both of which are received from said central processing unit, such that said first memory is conditioned for reading data in an address being addressed by said central processing unit in a bank which is selected by said bank selecting data previously loaded into and held by said data holding means.

7. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 6, wherein a specific bank among said plurality of banks of said first memory is allocated to a first address space of said central processing unit and is accessible at all times by said central processing unit, said specific bank stores bank selecting data for the selection of a bank corresponding to a second address space accessible by said central processing unit, and said data holding means selects a bank of said first memory for said second address space based on said bank selecting data sent from said first memory.

8. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 6, wherein character data is stored as display data in at least portions of the banks of said first memory that are not adapted to store bank selecting data, said computer main unit is a video game machine, and said character data is data corresponding to game characters.

9. A memory cartridge attachable to and detachable from a data processing apparatus, said data processing apparatus having first and second data buses, first and second address buses, a central processing unit having limited addressing capability and being connected to said first data bus and said first address bus, and a video processing unit connected to said second data bus and said second address bus, said memory cartridge comprising:

a circuit board having first and second data lines attachable to said first and second data buses, respectively, and having first and second address lines attachable to said first and second address buses, respectively;

a first memory mounted on said circuit board, said first memory being none-volatile and having address terminals connected to said first address lines and data terminals connected to said first data lines, said first memory having a predetermined addressable storage capacity exceeding that of the limited addressing capability of the central processing unit, said first memory being divided into a plurality of banks, each of said banks having a memory capacity less than the address space accessible by said first address bus, at least one of said banks storing program data, at least one of said address locations of one of said banks storing bank selecting data for selecting another of said banks;

a second memory connected to said second data lines and said second address lines, said second memory storing character data for video processing;

data holding means mounted on said circuit board for holding bank selecting data, said data holding means having data input terminals connected to at least certain of said first data lines, and having data output terminals; and

conductive pattern means formed on said circuit board and connecting said output terminals of said data holding means to a predetermined portion of said address terminals which are used to select any one of said plurality of banks, wherein

said data holding means is loaded with bank selecting data that is read from said first memory in response to an enable signal for enabling said first memory and a read/write signal for accessing said first memory means, both of which are received from said central processing unit, and said first memory reads out data stored in an address that is addressed by said central processing unit in a bank that is selected by said bank selecting data that has been previously loaded into said data holding means.

10. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 9, wherein display data for forming a display screen, program data for executing a program, and command data for transferring said display data to said second memory are stored in at least one of said banks of said first memory.

11. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 9, wherein said first memory includes a ROM, and said second memory includes a RAM.

12. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 9, wherein a specific bank among said plurality of banks of said first memory is allocated to a first address space of said central processing unit and is accessible at all times by said central processing unit, said specific bank stores bank selecting data for the selection of a bank corresponding to a second address space accessible by said central processing unit, and said data holding means selects a bank of said first memory for said second address space according to said bank selecting data sent from said first memory.

13. A memory cartridge attachable to and detachable from a data processing apparatus, said data processing apparatus having first and second data buses, first and second address buses, a central processing unit of limited addressing capacity connected to said first data bus and said first address bus, and a video processing unit connected to said second data bus and said second address bus, said memory cartridge comprising:

a circuit board having first and second data lines attachable to said first and second data buses, respectively, and having first and second address lines attachable to said first and second address buses, respectively;

a first memory mounted on said circuit board, said first memory being non-volatile and having address terminals connected to said first address lines and data terminals connected to said first data line, said first memory having address space that is divided into a plurality of banks, said banks each having a plurality of address locations, each of said banks having a memory capacity less than the address space accessible by said first address bus, at least one of said banks storing program data, at least one of said address locations of at least one of said banks storing bank selecting data for selecting another of said banks;

a second memory connected to said second data lines and said second address lines, said second memory storing video character data which is used for video processing; and

data holding means for holding bank selecting data, said data holding means mounted on said circuit board, said data holding means including a plurality of input terminals connected to at least certain of said first data lines, said data holding means including a plurality of output terminals connected to a predetermined portion of said address terminals of said first memory which are used to select any one of said plurality of banks,

said data holding means holding the bank selecting data that is read from said first memory at a time when an enable signal received from said central processing unit enables said first memory and when a read/write signal received from said central processing unit for accessing said first memory means instructs said data holding means to load, such that said first memory is conditioned to read data in an address being addressed by said central processing unit in a bank which is selected by said bank selecting data held in said data holding means.

14. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 13, wherein a specific bank among said plurality of banks of said first memory is allocated to a first address space of said central processing unit and is accessible at all times by said central processing unit, said specific bank stores bank selecting data for the selection of a bank corresponding to a second address space accessible by said central processing unit, and said data holding means selects a bank of said first memory for said second address space based on said bank selecting data sent from said first memory.

15. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 13, wherein said first memory includes a ROM, and said second memory includes a RAM.

16. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 13, wherein said data holding means includes a semiconductor device that receives said bank selecting data from said first memory and sends a bank-switching signal to said predetermined portion of said address terminals.

17. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 16, wherein said data holding means includes a gating means which, when provided with a signal by said central processing unit, sends this signal to the most significant of said address terminals of said first memory, and when not provided with this signal, sends the output of said holding means to the most significant of said address terminals of said first memory.

18. A memory cartridge in accordance with claim 13, wherein display data for forming a display screen, program data for executing a program, and command data for transferring said display data to said second memory are stored in at least one of said banks of said first memory.