Timing Patents (Class 710/25)
  • Patent number: 8473705
    Abstract: A memory access apparatus is provided with a processor, an interface (I/F) circuit, and a memory control circuit. The processor is provided with an access-request generating circuit which issues a memory access request. The I/F circuit is provided with a flip-flop (F/F) circuit which holds the memory access request outputted from the processor in response to a clock signal. The memory control circuit is provided with an access processing circuit which executes an access process that complies with the memory access request held by the F/F circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kouji Tainaka
  • Patent number: 8458429
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for dynamically modifying one or more operating conditions of a memory controller in an electronic device. Operating conditions may comprise clock frequency and power, which may be modified or removed. Dynamic modification of operating conditions may be done for purposes of optimizing a parameter, such as power consumption. A mode, referred to as idle mode, may be used as a transitional or operational mode for the memory controller. The performance of the memory controller may dynamically vary in response to changes in its operating conditions. As such, the memory controller may comprise multiple modes, or submodes, of operation. The performance of the memory controller may depend on the type of memory it controls, for instance Double Data Rate (DDR) Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Franck Dahan, Gilles Dubost, Sylvain Dubois
  • Patent number: 8458426
    Abstract: In a transceiver system a first interface receives data from a first channel using a first clock signal and transmits data to the first channel using a second clock signal. A second interface receives data from a second channel using a third clock signal and transmits data to the second channel using a fourth clock signal. A re-timer re-times data received from the first channel using the first clock signal and retransmits the data to the second channel using the fourth clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Donnelly, Mark Johnson, Chanh Tran, Nancy D. Dillon
  • Patent number: 8438523
    Abstract: In layout design step of the semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing method, when it is found that the wiring length between an external terminal and an IO block (external terminal I/F circuit) corresponding to the external terminal increases after a floorplan of a circuit including a functional block and the IO block is determined, placement of the IO block is determined such that the IO block is placed close to the external terminal to alleviate constraints on the wiring between the IO block and the external terminal, and timing adjustment circuits whose number is determined according to the wiring length of a bus (or a shared bus) connecting a data transfer circuit and the IO block is inserted into the bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Iwahashi, Masayoshi Tojima, Tokuzo Kiyohara
  • Patent number: 8433830
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques to execute tasks with a computing device. A first task is initiated to perform an operation of the first task. A buffer construct that represents a region of memory accessible to the operation of the first task is created. A second task is initiated to perform of an operation of the second task that is configured to be timed to initiate in response to the buffer construct being communicated to the second task from the first task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Calos Fund Limited Liability Company
    Inventors: Peter Mattson, David Goodwin
  • Patent number: 8423680
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for inserting a gap in information sent from a drive to a host device. In operation, one or more commands are received at a drive from a host device. Additionally, information is queued to send to the host device. Furthermore, a gap is inserted in the information to send to the host device such that the host device is capable of sending additional commands to the drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventor: Ross John Stenfort
  • Patent number: 8417846
    Abstract: Device for real-time streaming to an array of solid state memory device sets, said device comprising receiving means for receiving data from data streams of individual data rate in parallel, an input cache for buffering received data, a bus system for transferring data from the input buffer to the solid state memory device sets, and a controller adapted for using a page-receiving-time t_r, a page-writing-time wrt_tm, the data amount p and the individual data rates for dynamically controlling the bus system such that data received from the first data stream is transferred to solid state memory device sets comprised in a first subset of said array of solid state memory device sets, only, and data received from the at least a second data stream is transferred to solid state memory device sets comprised in a different second subset of said array of solid state memory device sets, only.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Thomas Brune, Michael Drexler, Oliver Kamphenkel
  • Publication number: 20130073752
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for data transfers between nodes in a parallel computer that include: receiving, by an origin DMA on an origin node, a buffer identifier for a buffer containing data for transfer to a target node; sending, by the origin DMA to the target node, a RTS message; transferring, by the origin DMA, a data portion to the target node using a memory FIFO operation that specifies one end of the buffer from which to begin transferring the data; receiving, by the origin DMA, an acknowledgement of the RTS message from the target node; and transferring, by the origin DMA in response to receiving the acknowledgement, any remaining data portion to the target node using a direct put operation that specifies the other end of the buffer from which to begin transferring the data, including initiating the direct put operation without invoking an origin processing core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP
  • Patent number: 8375366
    Abstract: When events are traced, the timing stream is used to associate events with instructions and indicate pipeline advances precluding the recording of stall cycles. Additional information is needed in the trace stream to identify an overlay whose execution of code is in a system where overlays or a memory management unit are used. In the case of PC trace, additional information is added when the memory system contents is changed. Information describing the configuration change is inserted into the export streams by placing this information in a message buffer. As long as a message word is available for output, it becomes the next export word as the output of message words is continuous.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Manisha Agarwala, Gary L. Swoboda, Oliver P. Sohm
  • Patent number: 8370540
    Abstract: A data transfer control device that selects one of a plurality of DMA channels and transfers data to or from memory includes a request holding section configured to hold a certain number of data transfer requests of the plurality of DMA channels and a request rearranging section configured to select and rearrange the data transfer requests that are held in a basic transfer order so that the data transfer requests of each of the plurality of DMA channels are successively outputted for a number of successive transfers set in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventor: Masaki Okada
  • Patent number: 8364854
    Abstract: A computer program product is provided for performing input/output (I/O) processing at a host computer system. The computer program product is configured to perform: generating an address control structure for each of a plurality of consecutive data transfer requests specified by an I/O operation, each address control structure specifying a location in the local channel memory of a corresponding address control word (ACW) that includes an Offset field indicating a relative order of a data transfer request; generating and storing in local channel memory at least one ACW specifying one or more host memory locations for the plurality of consecutive data transfer requests and including an Expected Offset field indicating a relative order of an expected data transfer request; receiving a transfer request from the network interface and comparing the Offset field and the Expected Offset field to determine whether the data transfer request has been received in the correct order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Clinton E. Bubb, Daniel F. Casper, John R. Flanagan
  • Patent number: 8364290
    Abstract: A method of machine control can include providing at least a system master signal, selectively synchronizing at least sub-system master signal to the system master signal based on the value of the system master signal, and carrying out at least one operation based on the value of the other master signal. For example, a machine controller may provide a system virtual master signal and synchronize one or more module virtual master signals to the system virtual master based on the system virtual master count value. One or more components of the module may operate based on the count value of the module virtual master signal. The use of an asynchronous control method may advantageously increase the flexibility of the machine. Because the operation of the components of the machine may depend on respective virtual master signals, a machine using asynchronous control methods may advantageously continue operating one component or module in the event of a fault involving other components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth Allen Pigsley
  • Patent number: 8346995
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for managing the flow of IO jobs from a client to a hardware device such that resource starvation is reduced without significantly impacting throughput. Each flow can be assigned an amount of time that a hardware device can deplete completing IO jobs from the client. When the allocated amount of time is used IO jobs associated with the client can be stored in a queue until the client obtains more time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Dustin L. Green, Yau Ning Chin, Bruce L. Worthington
  • Publication number: 20120331187
    Abstract: A method for controlling bandwidth in a direct memory access (DMA) unit of a computer processing system, the method comprising: assigning a DMA job to a selected DMA engine; starting a source timer; and issuing a request to read a next section of data for the DMA job. If a sufficient amount of the data was not obtained, allowing the DMA engine to wait until the source timer reaches a specified value before continuing to read additional data for the DMA job.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Inventors: Kun Xu, Tommi M. Jokinen, David B. Kramer
  • Patent number: 8332567
    Abstract: Example apparatus and methods to communicatively couple field devices to controllers in a process control system are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a first interface configured to receive first information from a field device using a first communication protocol. The example apparatus also includes a communication processor communicatively coupled to the first interface and configured to encode the first information for communication via a bus using a second communication protocol. In addition, the example apparatus includes a second interface communicatively coupled to the communication processor and the bus and configured to communicate the first information via the bus using the second communication protocol. The bus is configured to use the second communication protocol to communicate second information associated with another field device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Kent Allan Burr, Gary Keith Law, Doyle Eugene Broom, Mark J. Nixon
  • Patent number: 8260981
    Abstract: A direct memory access controller including: a transfer module that transfers data from several data sources to at least one addressee for these data, through several buffer memories each including a predetermined number of successive elementary memory locations; a read management module that reads data stored in the buffer memories and that transfers them in sequence to the addressee; and a storage module that stores read pointers associated respectively with each buffer memory, each read pointer indicating an elementary location of the buffer memory with which it is associated and in which data can be read, wherein the buffer memories are associated respectively with each data source, and for each buffer memory, the controller includes means for executing a firmware that reads data and updates a read pointer associated with this buffer memory, and for synchronising execution of the firmwares as a function of a predetermined order of data originating from buffer memories required in a data sequence to be tra
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives
    Inventors: Yves Durand, Christian Bernard
  • Patent number: 8260980
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method that simultaneously transfers DMA data from a peripheral device to a hardware assist function and processor memory. A first DMA transfer is configured to transfer data from the peripheral to a peripheral DMA engine. While receiving the data, the DMA engine simultaneously transfers this data to processor memory. The DMA engine also transfers a copy of the data to a hardware assist function. The DMA engine may also simultaneously transfer data from processor memory to a peripheral device while transferring a copy to a hardware assist function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventors: Bret S. Weber, Timothy E. Hoglund, Mohamad El-Batal
  • Patent number: 8249656
    Abstract: A method of communication between a modular wireless communicator and a jacket device that is connected to the modular wireless communicator via a connector a connector that connects a plurality of signal transmission lines, the jacket device including a keypad for operating the modular wireless communicator, including receiving a multi-bit signal over multiple signal transmission lines, one bit of which indicating whether the jacket device includes a serial NOR flash memory, if the jacket device includes a serial NOR flash memory, then reading a jacket ID from the serial NOR flash memory, if the jacket device does not include a serial NOR flash memory, then reading the jacket ID from other bits of the multi-bit signal, receiving jacket keypad signals over multiple signal transmission lines, and decoding the jacket keypad signals based on the jacket ID.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Itay Sherman, Yohan Yehouda Cohen
  • Patent number: 8250164
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method for querying performance counter data on a massively parallel computing system, while minimizing the costs associated with interrupting computer processors and limited memory resources. DMA descriptors may be inserted into an injection FIFO of a remote compute node in the massively parallel computing system. Upon executing the DMA operations described by the DMA descriptors, performance counter data may be transferred from the remote compute node to a destination node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles J. Archer, Michael A. Blocksome, Joseph D. Ratterman, Brian E. Smith
  • Patent number: 8250253
    Abstract: Techniques for generating information identifying a next direct memory access (DMA) task to be serviced. In an embodiment, arbitration logic provides a sequence of masking logic to determine, according to a hierarchy of rules, a next task to be serviced by a DMA engine. In certain embodiments, masking logic includes logic to mask information representing pending tasks to be serviced, the masking based on identification of a channel as being a suspended channel and/or a victim channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Joon Teik Hor, Suryaprasad Kareenahalli
  • Patent number: 8219723
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques to execute tasks with a computing device. A first task is initiated to perform an operation of the first task. A buffer construct that represents a region of memory accessible to the operation of the first task is created. A second task is initiated to perform of an operation of the second task that is configured to be timed to initiate in response to the buffer construct being communicated to the second task from the first task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Calos Fund Limited Liability Company
    Inventors: Peter Mattson, David Goodwin
  • Publication number: 20120166684
    Abstract: When a data request signal is inactivated while a DMA controller is executing DMA data transfer in a burst transfer mode, an address at this time is held and a remaining number of transfer times is counted. After the DMA data transfer in the burst transfer mode is finished, the address and the remaining number of transfer times are re-set in the DMA controller and then the DMA data transfer is executed. This makes it possible to re-transfer data remaining at the timing when the data request signal is inactivated, and the DMA data transfer using the burst transfer mode is executed to or from a module requesting the DMA data transfer by using level of the data request signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED
    Inventor: Taro Shibata
  • Patent number: 8195846
    Abstract: A direct memory access controller (DMAC) for improving data transmission efficiency in multi-media over internet protocol (MMoIP) and a method therefor are provided. The DMAC requests and obtains a bus control right by determining that a DMA request signal is generated not only when a DMA request signal of a module for processing data in MMoIP is received but also when an operation of a timer operating during a predetermined period set considering periodicity of data in MMoIP is completed. Thus, the time taken to request a bus control right in a conventional DMAC can be reduced, thereby improving data transmission efficiency in MMoIP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: In-Ki Hwang, Do-Young Kim, Byung-Sun Lee
  • Patent number: 8171186
    Abstract: A method for performing write transactions in an interconnect fabric is described. A burst write transaction is received by a bridge coupled to a master. The burst transaction is initiated by a command phase that includes a wait state attribute. The bridge is also coupled to a second bus that is coupled to a slave destination device or to another bridge. The bridge may initiate a cut-through transaction to the second bus when the wait state attribute indicates a master inserted wait state will not be incurred during the burst transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Brian Jason Karguth, Denis Roland Beaudoin, Akila Subramaniam
  • Patent number: 8135878
    Abstract: A bus scheduling device having a group of direct memory access (“DMA”) engines, a group of target modules (“TM”), a read pending memory, and a bus arbiter is disclosed. A common bus, which is coupled with the DMA engines, TMs, and the read pending memory, is employed in the device for data transmission. DMA engines are capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from TMs via the common bus. The read pending memory is capable of storing information indicating the read status of the DMA engines. The arbiter or bus arbiter arbitrates bus access in response to a bus allocation scheme and the information stored in the read pending memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Tellabs San Jose Inc.
    Inventor: Naveen K. Jain
  • Patent number: 8130777
    Abstract: In a communication system comprising a link layer device connectable to one or more physical layer devices, the link layer device is configured using an efficient shared architecture for processing data associated with a plurality of links including at least one ingress link and at least one egress link. The link layer device comprises an ingress data clock processor configured to generate an ingress clock signal for processing data associated with said at least one ingress link, an egress data clock processor configured to generate an egress clock signal for processing data associated with said at least one egress link, and a control and configuration unit shared by the ingress data clock processor and the egress data clock processor. Another aspect of the invention relates to a buffer adaptive processor that in an illustrative embodiment limits clock variability in the presence of cell delay variation or cell loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Agere Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Friedman, Hong Wan
  • Patent number: 8111721
    Abstract: A multiplexing system (10) is provided which includes a plurality of encoders (12-15) which generates elementary streams, respectively, CPU (16), multiplexer (17), instruction memory (18), and a data memory (19) which stores a plurality of elementary data to be multiplexed. Each of the encoders (12-15) divides elementary data into units, and stores the data into the data memory (19). The CPU (16) generates, for each of the data units, instruction data having stated therein a storage location in the data memory (19) and stores the instruction data into the instruction memory (18). The multiplexer (17) reads the instruction data one by one from the instruction memory (18), and reads data units stated in the instruction data sequentially from the data memory (19), for generation of a multiplexed stream. Thus, the burden of processing to the controller can be lessened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Keisuke Aoki
  • Patent number: 8095616
    Abstract: A multiple computer system is disclosed in which n computers (M1, M2 . . . Mn) each run a different portion of a single application program written to execute only on a single computer. The local memory of each computer is maintained substantially the same by updating all computers with every change made to addressed memory locations. Contention can arise when the same memory location is substantially simultaneously updated by two or more machines because of transmission delays and latency of the communications network interconnecting all the computers. In particular a method of detecting contention is disclosed which utilizes a count value indicative of the number of the sequence of occasions on which each memory location has been updated. Contention is indicated if the currently stored count value and the incoming updating count value are the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Waratek Pty Ltd.
    Inventor: John M. Holt
  • Patent number: 8095700
    Abstract: A DMA controller and a method for statistical allocation of multichannel DMA bandwidth. In one embodiment, the DMA controller includes: (1) channel interfaces including respective counters and configured to provide request signals, priority signals and counter value signals representing current values of the counters at a given time and (2) a grant control unit coupled to the channel interfaces and configured to grant DMA access to one of the channel interfaces based on values of the priority signals and the counter value signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventors: Nimrod Alexandron, Alexander Rabinovitch, Leonid Dubrovin
  • Patent number: 8086812
    Abstract: In a transceiver system a first interface receives data from a first channel using a first clock signal and transmits data to the first channel using a second clock signal. A second interface receives data from a second channel using a third clock signal and transmits data to the second channel using a fourth clock signal. A re-timer re-times data received from the first channel using the first clock signal and retransmits the data to the second channel using the fourth clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Donnelly, Mark Johnson, Chanh Tran, John B. Dillon, Nancy D. Dillon, legal representative
  • Patent number: 8065026
    Abstract: A vehicle computer system has an audio entertainment system implemented in a logic unit and audio digital signal processor (DSP) independent from the host CPU. The audio entertainment system employs a set of ping/pong buffers and direct memory access (DMA) circuits to transfer data between different audio devices. Audio data is exchanged using a mapping overlay technique, in which the DMA circuits for two audio devices read and write to the same memory buffer. The computer system provides an audio manager API (application program interface) to enable applications running on the computer to control the various audio sources without knowing the hardware and implementation details of the underlying sound system. Different audio devices and their drivers control different functionality of the audio system, such as equalization, volume controls and surround sound decoding. The audio manager API transfers calls made by the applications to the appropriate device driver(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Richard D. Beckert, Mark M. Moeller, Hang Li
  • Patent number: 8051222
    Abstract: An apparatus and a process for transferring packet data includes receiving packets from a first interface such as a network interface and transferring data to a second interface such as an SD Bus interface such as SDIO using a protocol such as one described in SDCard.org. The SD Bus second interface operates as a slave device to a master device, and the packet transfer from first interface to second interface includes concatenating length fields and packet data fields from packets received on the first interface to form a superframe which is provided to the second interface at time of data transfer. The formation of each superframe includes starting a timer such that the superframe is transmitted to the second interface by asserting an interrupt on that interface when either the timer expires, the number of packet from the first interface exceeds a threshold, or the amount of data from the first interface exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Redpine Signals, Inc.
    Inventors: Subba Reddy Kallam, Venkateswarlu Upputuri
  • Patent number: 8041852
    Abstract: A computer system is provided that utilizes a buffer construct to manage memory access operations to a region of memory. The buffer construct may correspond to a data item or structure that represents a region of memory. Each task may control the buffer construct exclusively of other tasks, so that the region of memory that is represented by the buffer construct is only available to the controlling task. Another task that requires access to the region of memory must wait until the controlling task makes the buffer construct available. The controlling task makes the buffer construct available only when DMA or other memory access operations that are in progress become complete. In this way, the buffer construct acts as a token that synchronizes each of the concurrent tasks execution and ensures mutually exclusive access to the common region of memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Calos Fund Limited Liability Company
    Inventors: Peter Mattson, David Goodwin
  • Patent number: 8037215
    Abstract: Apparatus for evaluating the performance of DMA-based algorithmic tasks on a target multi-core processing system includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The processor is operative: to input a template for a specified task, the template including DMA-related parameters specifying DMA operations and computational operations to be performed; to evaluate performance for the specified task by running a benchmark on the target multi-core processing system, the benchmark being operative to generate data access patterns using DMA operations and invoking prescribed computation routines as specified by the input template; and to provide results of the benchmark indicative of a measure of performance of the specified task corresponding to the target multi-core processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John A. Gunnels, Shakti Kapoor, Ravi Kothari, Yogish Sabharwal, James C. Sexton
  • Patent number: 7962673
    Abstract: A method for intervaled memory transfer access provides periodic authorization signals to a memory access controller. The method cycles between: 1) inhibiting the memory access controller from writing data to a memory until the memory access controller receives a periodic authorization signal to cause the memory access controller to remove the inhibition and write a predetermined amount of data to the memory through a data bus, and 2) releasing the data bus following writing of the predetermined amount of data to the memory by inhibiting the memory access controller from writing further data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Marvell International Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Charles E. Evans, Douglas G. Keithley
  • Patent number: 7949801
    Abstract: Coprocessor systems for using a main microprocessor DMA channel to write to a port to control a coprocessor system are provided. In certain examples, coprocessor systems are described using a main CPU counter to trigger a DMA channel to perform a single byte transfer to a port used to control coprocessor command timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: George T. Monroe, Linda Dore, Michael LePore
  • Patent number: 7930444
    Abstract: A method for controlling multiple DMA tasks, the method includes receiving multiple DMA task requests; the method is characterized by defining multiple buffer descriptors for each of a plurality of DMA channel; wherein at least two buffer descriptors comprise timing information that controls an execution of cyclic time based DMA tasks; selecting a DMA task request out of the multiple DMA task requests; executing a DMA task or a DMA task iteration and updating the buffer descriptor associated with the selected DMA task request to reflect the execution; and jumping to the stage of selecting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Uri Shasha, Sagi Gurfinkel, Gilad Hassid, Eran Kahn
  • Patent number: 7899957
    Abstract: A memory controller, such as a SDRAM controller, controls the way in which data is retrieved, in order to make more efficient use of the bandwidth of the memory data bus. More specifically, when a memory access request requires multiple data bursts on the memory bus, the SDRAM controller stores the data from the multiple data bursts in respective buffers. Data is then retrieved from the buffers such that data is read from a part of the first buffer, then from the other buffers, and finally from the remaining part of the first buffer. Storing the required data in the remaining part of the first buffer avoids the need to occupy the memory bus with a new data burst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventor: Kulwinder Dhanoa
  • Patent number: 7886085
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a technique to improve the data transmission efficiency which allows correct reception of the data at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Suenaga, Osamu Shibata, Noriaki Takeda, Toru Iwata, Takaharu Yoshida, Yoshiyuki Saito
  • Patent number: 7870310
    Abstract: A method of operating a multi-queue device, including: (1) storing a plurality of read (write) count pointers, wherein each of the read (write) count pointers is associated with a corresponding queue of the multi-queue device, (2) providing a read (write) count pointer associated with a present queue to read (write) flag logic, (3) adjusting the read (write) count pointer associated with the present queue in response to each read (write) operation performed by the present queue, (4) indicating a read (write) queue switch from the present queue to a next queue, (5) retrieving a read (write) count pointer associated with the next queue; and then (6) simultaneously providing the read (write) count pointer associated with the present queue and the read (write) count pointer associated with the next queue to the read (write) flag logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mario Au, Jason Z. Mo
  • Patent number: 7865631
    Abstract: A method, system and program are provided for dynamically allocating DMA channel identifiers to multiple DMA transfer requests that are grouped in time by virtualizing DMA transfer requests into an available DMA channel identifier using a channel bitmap listing of available DMA channels to select and set an allocated DMA channel identifier. Once the input values associated with the DMA transfer requests are mapped to the selected DMA channel identifier, the DMA transfers are performed using the selected DMA channel identifier, which is then deallocated in the channel bitmap upon completion of the DMA transfers. When there is a request to wait for completion of the data transfers, the same input values are used with the mapping to wait on the appropriate logical channel. With this method, all available logical channels can be utilized with reduced instances of false-sharing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joaquin Madruga, Dean J. Burdick
  • Publication number: 20100293304
    Abstract: A DMA controller and a method for statistical allocation of multichannel DMA bandwidth. In one embodiment, the DMA controller includes: (1) channel interfaces including respective counters and configured to provide request signals, priority signals and counter value signals representing current values of the counters at a given time and (2) a grant control unit coupled to the channel interfaces and configured to grant DMA access to one of the channel interfaces based on values of the priority signals and the counter value signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicant: LSI Corporation
    Inventors: Nimrod Alexandron, Alexander Rabinovitch, Leonid Dubrovin
  • Publication number: 20100287314
    Abstract: A storage device or system provides to a host processor an estimation of a completion time of a storage operation. The completion time may be based on the duration of automatic storage operations, which are not administered by the host processor. The storage device includes a non-volatile memory and a controller. The storage system includes: a storage device having a non-volatile memory; and a controller module. The controller or controller module estimates the completion time of a storage operation and provides to the processor the estimated completion time before the storage operation completes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2007
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: SanDisk Ltd.
    Inventor: Nir Perry
  • Patent number: 7827331
    Abstract: An IO adapter for guaranteeing the data transfer bandwidth on each capsule interface when multiple capsule interfaces jointly share the DMA engine of the IO adapter. An IO driver containing a capsule interface information table including bandwidth information and for setting the forming status of a pair of capsule interfaces and, during data transfer subdivides the descriptors for the capsule interfaces into multiple groups for each data buffer size satisfying the preset bandwidth information and, copies one group at each fixed sample time set by the descriptor registration means, into the descriptor ring and performs DMA transfer. To control this copy information, the IO driver contains a ring scheduler information table for managing the number of descriptor entries for the capsule interface cycle time and, a ring scheduler cancel means for renewing the entries in the ring scheduler information table each time one transmission of the descriptor group ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashige Baba, Yoshiko Yasuda, Jun Okitsu
  • Publication number: 20100262728
    Abstract: A direct memory access controller (DMAC) for improving data transmission efficiency in multi-media over internet protocol (MMoIP) and a method therefor are provided. The DMAC requests and obtains a bus control right by determining that a DMA request signal is generated not only when a DMA request signal of a module for processing data in MMoIP is received but also when an operation of a timer operating during a predetermined period set considering periodicity of data in MMoIP is completed. Thus, the time taken to request a bus control right in a conventional DMAC can be reduced, thereby improving data transmission efficiency in MMoIP.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Inventors: In-Ki Hwang, Do-Young Kim, Byung-Sun Lee
  • Patent number: 7814251
    Abstract: A direct memory access (DMA) transfer apparatus configured to sequentially read, into a register, at least one transfer setting value for data transfer stored in a memory and to perform DMA transfer processing based on the read transfer setting value includes a unit configured to receive a No Operation (NOP) designation for designating no performance of DMA transfer as the transfer setting value, and a unit configured to generate, if the NOP designation has been performed with the transfer setting value read into the register, an NOP interrupt signal to end transfer processing without performing the DMA transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Dan Iwata
  • Patent number: 7805549
    Abstract: There is provided a transfer apparatus having a bridge that transfers a transaction between a first and a second bus, and a data transfer unit that performs a data transfer by DMA between the first and second bus. The transfer apparatus controls a transfer sequence of transaction transfers by the bridge and data transfers by the data transfer unit, in which transaction transfers by the bridge are based on bus sequencing rules and data transfers by the data transfer unit are based on a data transfer activation condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akitomo Fukui
  • Patent number: 7805548
    Abstract: A method, medium and system for setting a transfer unit in a data processing system. The method comprises setting a transfer unit in a data processing system which repeatedly performs a process of transmitting data stored in a first memory to a second memory in a predetermined transfer unit, processing the transmitted data stored in the second memory, and transmitting the processed data to the first memory. The method includes computing overhead on the data processing system according to the size of each of a plurality of data units available as the transfer unit; and setting a data unit, which corresponds to a minimum overhead from among the computed overheads, as the transfer unit. Accordingly, it is possible to set an optimum transfer unit according to an environment of a data processing system in order to improve the performance of the data processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Joon-ho Song, Si-hwa Lee, Do-hyung Kim
  • Publication number: 20100228894
    Abstract: A method and device for sharing data. The method include: receiving by a direct memory access controller, a data read instruction; wherein the read data instruction can be a shared data read instruction or a non-shared data read instruction; determining whether to fetch a requested data block from a first memory unit to a second memory unit by applying a direct memory address control operation; wherein the second memory unit is accessible by a processor that generated the shared data read instruction; fetching the requested data block from the first memory unit to the second memory unit by applying a direct memory access control operation, if the read data instruction is a non-shared data instruction or if the read data instruction is a shared data instruction but the requested data is not stored in the second memory unit; and retrieving a requested data block from a second memory unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Ilan Strulovici, Erez Arbel-Meirovich, Stefania Gandal, Adi Katz
  • Patent number: 7783793
    Abstract: A memory controller provides page copy logic that assures data coherency when a DMA operation to a page occurs during the copying of the page by the memory controller. The page copy logic compares the page index of the DMA operation to a copy address pointer that indicates the location currently being copied. If the page index of the DMA operation is less than the copy address pointer, the portion of the page that would be written to by the DMA operation has already been copied, so the DMA operation is performed to the physical address of the new page. If the page index of the DMA operation is greater than the copy address pointer, the portion of the page that would be written to by the DMA operation has not yet been copied, so the DMA operation is performed to the physical address of the old page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald Keith Bartley, John Michael Borkenhagen, William Paul Hovis, Daniel Paul Kolz