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Multiport memory and method of arbitrating an access conflict therein

  • US 5,659,711 A
  • Filed: 08/31/1994
  • Issued: 08/19/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A multiport memory including a first port and a second port which can be accessed independently from each other, comprising:

  • a plurality of memory blocks each having an array of memory cells, each said memory block being accessible through said first and second ports, each of said first and second ports including a plurality of subports corresponding to said plurality of memory blocks;

    a plurality of access conflict detecting means, one for each said memory block, each for determining whether or not an access through a subport of said first port to a corresponding memory block conflicts with an access through a subport of said second port to the corresponding memory block in response to address signals for the first and second ports;

    a plurality of arbitrating means provided corresponding to each respective access conflict detecting means and responsive to an associated access conflict detecting means for effecting an arbitration for avoiding an access confliction to generate an enabling signal for allowing an access to a preferential port;

    selection means responsive to said plurality of access conflict detecting means for selectively passing the enabling signal from one of said plurality of arbitrating means; and

    ,port control means provided for each respective memory block and responsive to said selection means for enabling an access to a port enabled by the enabling signal received from said selection means, said selection means responsive to a multiple of the access conflict detecting means simultaneously detecting access conflictions in corresponding memory blocks, for selecting and passing an enabling signal from one of arbitration means corresponding to the multiple of the access conflict detecting means to each respective port control means provided corresponding to memory blocks subject to the simultaneous access conflictions.

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