Circuit for the management of memory words

• US 5,384,749 A
• Filed: 07/23/1993
• Issued: 01/24/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Lisart, Mathieu, Sourgen, Laurent
• Primary Examiner(s): LaRoche, Eugene R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAI, SON LUU
• Application Number:
  US08/096,687
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 365/189.01, 365/189.07, 365/195, 365/230.01, 364/969, 364/969.01, 364/969.03, 364/969.02
• US Class Current: 365/230.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1441 for a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/35765 Access rights to memory zones
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/24 Memory cell safety or protection circuits, e.g. arrangements for preventing inadvertent reading or writing; Status cells; Test cells
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/04 using a sequential addressing device, e.g. shift register, counter

Abstract

In a memory, a zone descriptor contains authorizations to act which may pertain to actions of reading, writing and erasure and which concerns memory words of a zone of the memory controlled by this descriptor. The zone descriptor also has an information element indicating the length of the memory zone by including the address of the next descriptor. An internal zone control signal is produced in order to store a mode of management of the memory zone and, an address corresponding to the end of the zone. The end of zone address is then compared with the addresses delivered by an address counter. A modification of the stored information is prompted when the end of a zone is reached.

Claims

1. A circuit for managing modes of operation, such as reading, writing and erasure modes, of memory words in a memory zone of an electrically programmable, non-volatile memory, the circuit comprising:

an address counter that generates address signals;

a row decoder, coupled to the address counter, that decodes the address signals and provides access to the memory words;

a decision circuit that applies a mode of management to memory words of the memory;

a first storage circuit to store a mode of management;

a second storage circuit to store an address corresponding to the end of a memory zone; and

a comparator to compare a current address generated by the address counter with the address stored in the second storage circuit, the comparator generating a signal to load the decision circuit with the mode of management stored in the first storage circuit.

3. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein:

the first storage circuit comprises an address decoder, controlled by the loading signal, to replace the stored zone descriptor address with an address of the following zone descriptor.

4. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein:

the second storage circuit comprises an address decoder, controlled by the loading signal, to replace the stored mode of management of a memory zone A with a mode of management of following zone B.

5. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein:

the comparator has a set of Exclusive-OR gates connected to a logic circuit.

6. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein:

the decision circuit comprises a first decision table controlled by the first group of bits, and a second decision table, controlled by the first table and filtered external instructions, the first table being updated by the loading signal.

7. A circuit according to claim 1 further comprising:

a shifting circuit for shifting row addresses of the memory to enable an operation of this memory in abacus mode;

the shifting circuit comprising, on each row, a first gate for the selection of the row, and a second gate, in parallel with the first gate, for the selection of a contiguous row, the first and second gates respectively receiving signals from the decision circuit for deactivation and activation in abacus mode.

2. A memory system that operates in modes of operation, such as reading, writing and erasure modes, the system comprising:

an electrically programmable, non-volatile memory being partitioned into a plurality of contiguous zones, each zone including a plurality of memory words having consecutive addresses, each of the memory words of a zone being assigned a common mode of management, at least one memory word within each zone including a zone descriptor having a first group of bits defining a mode of management for the memory zone and a second group of bits defining an end address of the memory zone;

an address counter that generates sequential address signals;

a row decoder, coupled to the address counter, that decodes the address signals and provides access to the memory words;

the address of the zone descriptor DA of a memory zone A being the first address of memory zone A;

zone descriptor DA having, as an information element, an address corresponding to the end of the memory zone A, the end of memory zone A corresponding to the address of a zone descriptor DB of a following memory zone B;

a first storage circuit to store a mode of management of the memory zone A;

a second storage circuit to store the address corresponding to the zone descriptor DB;

means for updating the first and second storage circuits after each of the words of the memory zone A have been addressed;

a decision circuit that applies a mode of management to memory words of the memory; and

a comparator to compare a current address generated by the address counter with the address stored in the second storing circuit, the comparator generating a signal loading the decision circuit with a mode of management corresponding to the first group of bits of the zone descriptor DA.

8. A memory system, comprising:

a memory that is partitioned into a plurality of contiguous zones, each zone including a plurality of memory words having consecutive addresses, the memory further including a plurality of zone descriptors, each zone descriptor corresponding to a respective zone and including a first group of bits indicating an authorized mode of operation for the zone and a second group of bits indicating the end word address of the zone;

a decision circuit that determines whether a mode of operation for an accessed memory word, such as reading, writing and erasing, is authorized;

an address counter that generates consecutive memory address signals;

a row decoder, coupled to the address counter, that decodes the address signals and provides access to the memory words;

first and second storage circuits, responsive to the memory, to store each zone descriptor read from the memory, the first storage circuit storing the first group of zone descriptor bits indicating the mode of management for the memory zone corresponding to the zone descriptor, the second storage circuit storing the second group of zone descriptor bits indicating the end address of the corresponding memory zone;

means for coupling the first storage circuit to the decision circuit so that when the decision circuit is loaded, it is updated with the mode of management stored in the first storage circuit; and

a comparator to compare a current address generated by the address counter with the address stored in the second storage circuit and to assert an update signal that updates the decision circuit when the two addresses match, whereby the decision circuit is updated with the mode of management for the next memory zone when the end of a previous zone is detected.

9. A circuit as defined in claim 8 including means for loading the first and second storage circuits when the update signal is asserted.

10. A circuit as defined in claim 8 wherein the decision circuit includes:

a first array of programmable logic responsive to the first group of zone descriptor bits stored in the first storage circuit; and

a second array of programmable logic responsive to the first array and further responsive to instructions provided to the system from an external source.

11. A circuit as defined in claim 8 wherein the memory is an electrically programmable non-volatile memory.

12. A memory comprising:

a plurality of contiguous zones, each zone including a plurality of memory words having consecutive addresses; and

a plurality of zone descriptors, each zone descriptor corresponding to a respective zone and including a first group of bits indicating an authorized mode of operation for the zone and a second group of bits indicating the end word address of the zone, each zone descriptor being stored within the first word address of its corresponding memory zone.

13. A memory as defined in claim 12 wherein the memory is an electrically programmable non-volatile memory.

14. A method for managing a memory system, comprising the steps of:

partitioning the memory into a plurality of contiguous zones, each zone including a plurality of memory words having consecutive addresses, each zone having first and second boundary word addresses;

generating a plurality of zone descriptors, each zone descriptor corresponding to a respective zone and including a first group of bits indicating an authorized mode of use for the memory words within the zone and a second group of bits indicating the first boundary word address of an adjacent zone;

storing each zone descriptor within the first boundary word address of its corresponding memory zone;

generating a memory address for accessing the memory;

specifying a mode of use for the accessed memory address;

accessing the memory with the memory address and the specified mode of use;

determining whether the memory address is equal to the first boundary word address of a memory zone adjacent the zone being addressed and when it is, updating a management table with the first group of bits of the zone descriptor stored at the memory address; and

checking the management table to determine whether the specified mode of use for the addressed memory word is authorized and if it is not, prohibiting access to the addressed memory word.

15. A method as defined in claim 14 including the step of storing the second group of bits of a zone descriptor in a temporary storage circuit when it is determined that the memory address is equal to the first boundary word address of a memory zone adjacent the zone being addressed;

and

wherein the step of determining whether the memory address is equal to the first boundary word address of a memory zone adjacent the zone being addressed includes the step of comparing the memory address with the second group of zone descriptor bits stored in the temporary storage circuit.

16. A method as defined in claim 14 wherein the memory is an electrically programmable non-volatile memory.

17. A circuit for permitting operation of a memory system in abacus mode in response to activation of an abacus mode signal, the memory system including a memory having a plurality of rows, each row having a corresponding row access line that enables access to the row when asserted, each row access line being responsive to a series of row transistors that are responsive to memory address signals and assert the row access line when the row is selected by the memory address signals, the circuit comprising:

a plurality of series transistors corresponding respectively to the plurality of row access lines, each series transistor being disposed in series between the row access line and its corresponding series of row transistors, each series transistor being responsive to the deassertion of the abacus mode signal to enable its corresponding series of row transistors to drive the row access line; and

at least one parallel transistor disposed in parallel between the row access line of a first row and the series of row transistors of an adjacent row, the at least one parallel transistor being responsive to the assertion of the abacus mode signal to enable the row access line of the first row to be driven by the series of row transistors of the adjacent row.

18. A circuit as defined in claim 17 wherein the memory is an electrically programmable non-volatile memory.

19. A circuit as defined in claim 17 wherein a parallel transistor is disposed in parallel between every pair of adjacent rows except the first and second rows.

20. A circuit as defined in claim 17 wherein a parallel transistor is disposed in parallel between every pair of adjacent rows except the last and second to last rows.