Patents Assigned to Rambus Inc.
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Patent number: 11527302Abstract: A buffer circuit is disclosed. The buffer circuit includes a command address (C/A) interface to receive an incoming activate (ACT) command and an incoming column address strobe (CAS) command. A first match circuit includes first storage to store failure row address information associated with the memory, and first compare logic. The first compare logic is responsive to the ACT command, to compare incoming row address information to the stored failure row address information. A second match circuit includes second storage to store failure column address information associated with the memory, and second compare logic. The second compare logic is responsive to the CAS command, to compare the incoming column address information to the stored failure column address information. Gating logic maintains a state of a matching row address identified by the first compare logic during the comparison carried out by the second compare logic.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2021Date of Patent: December 13, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Scott C. Best, John Eric Linstadt, Paul William Roukema
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Patent number: 11525854Abstract: An integrated circuit capable of on-chip jitter tolerance measurement includes a jitter generator circuit to produce a controlled amount of jitter that is injected into at least one clock signal, and a receive circuit to sample an input signal according to the at least one clock signal. The sampled data values output from the receiver are used to evaluate the integrated circuit's jitter tolerance.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2021Date of Patent: December 13, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Hae-Chang Lee, Jaeha Kim, Brian Leibowitz
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Patent number: 11526632Abstract: Methods and systems for enabling secure memory transactions in a memory controller are disclosed. Responsive to determining that an incoming request is for a secure memory transaction, the incoming request is placed in a secure request container. The memory container then enters a state where re-ordering between requests for secure memory transactions placed in the secure request container and requests for non-secure memory transactions from other containers is prevented in a scheduling queue.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2020Date of Patent: December 13, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Craig E. Hampel, Liji Gopalakrishnan, John Eric Linstadt, Steven C. Woo
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Patent number: 11526445Abstract: Memory controllers, devices, modules, systems and associated methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a memory system is disclosed. The memory system includes volatile memory configured as a cache. The cache stores first data at first storage locations. Backing storage media couples to the cache. The backing storage media stores second data in second storage locations corresponding to the first data. Logic uses a presence or status of first data in the first storage locations to cease maintenance operations to the stored second data in the second storage locations.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2020Date of Patent: December 13, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Collins Williams, Michael Miller, Kenneth Wright
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Patent number: 11520633Abstract: A method and system for thread aware, class aware, and topology aware memory allocations. Embodiments include a compiler configured to generate compiled code (e.g., for a runtime) that when executed allocates memory on a per class per thread basis that is system topology (e.g., for non-uniform memory architecture (NUMA)) aware. Embodiments can further include an executable configured to allocate a respective memory pool during runtime for each instance of a class for each thread. The memory pools are local to a respective processor, core, etc., where each thread executes.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2020Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventor: Keith Lowery
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Patent number: 11520508Abstract: Described are memory modules that include address-buffer components and data-buffer components that together support wide- and narrow-data modes. The address-buffer component manages communication between a memory controller and two sets of memory components. In the wide-data mode, the address-buffer enables memory components in each set and instructs the data-buffer components to communicate full-width read and write data by combining data from or to from both sets for each memory access. In the narrow-data mode, the address-buffer enables memory components in just one of the two sets and instructs the data-buffer components to half-width read and write data with one set per memory access.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2020Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Suresh Rajan, Abhijit M. Abhyankar, Ravindranath Kollipara, David A. Secker
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Patent number: 11522544Abstract: Described are on-die termination (ODT) systems and methods that facilitate high-speed communication between a driver die and a receiver die interconnected via one or more signal transmission lines. An ODT control system in accordance with one embodiment calibrates and maintains termination resistances and drive currents to produce optimal output swing voltages. Comparison circuitry employed to calibrate the reference resistance is also used to calibrate the drive current. Termination elements in some embodiments are divided into two adjustable resistive portions, both of which are designed to minimize capacitive loading. One portion is optimized to produce a relatively high range of adjustment, while the other is optimized for fine-tuning and glitch-free switching.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2020Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Huy M. Nguyen, Vijay Gadde, Benedict Lau
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Patent number: 11507280Abstract: A system includes a memory controller and a memory device having a command interface and a plurality of memory banks, each with a plurality of rows of memory cells. The memory controller transmits an auto-refresh command to the memory device. Responsive to the auto-refresh command, during a first time interval, the memory device performs refresh operations to refresh the memory cells and the command interface of the memory device is placed into a calibration mode for the duration of the first time interval. Concurrently, during at least a portion of the first time interval, the memory controller performs a calibration of a data interface circuit of the memory device. The auto-refresh command may specify an order in which memory banks of the memory device are to be refreshed, such that the memory device sequentially refreshes a respective row in the plurality of memory banks in the specified bank order.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2020Date of Patent: November 22, 2022Assignee: RAMBUS INC.Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Robert E. Palmer, John W. Poulton
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Patent number: 11500781Abstract: A cache memory includes cache lines to store information. The stored information is associated with physical addresses that include first, second, and third distinct portions. The cache lines are indexed by the second portions of respective physical addresses associated with the stored information. The cache memory also includes one or more tables, each of which includes respective table entries that are indexed by the first portions of the respective physical addresses. The respective table entries in each of the one or more tables are to store indications of the second portions of respective physical addresses associated with the stored information.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2020Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: RAMBUS INC.Inventors: Trung Diep, Hongzhong Zheng
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Patent number: 11502681Abstract: A transmitter merges even and odd data streams to drive a serialized signal. Identical even and odd drivers take turns driving symbols from respective even and odd streams using respective pull-up transistors and pull-down transistors. Each transistor exhibits a significant source-gate capacitance that is charged when the transistor is turned onto drive the serialized signal. Charging one of these capacitances loads the power supply and thus introduces noise. Each even and odd driver includes a pre-driver that times the charging of a source-gate capacitance in the active driver to the discharge of a source-gate capacitance in the inactive driver. The discharge of the source-gate capacitance in the inactive driver counters the effect of charging the active driver, providing much of the power required by the active driver and thus reducing supply noise.Type: GrantFiled: November 27, 2019Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Talip Ucar, Frederick A. Ware
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Patent number: 11502879Abstract: An equalizer includes a first feed-forward stage that provides a measure of low-frequency IS I and a second feed-forward stage that includes a cascade of stages each making an IS I estimate. The IS I estimate from each stage is further equalized by application of the measures of low-frequency IS I from the first feed-forward stage and fed to the next in the cascade of stages. The IS I estimate from the stages thus become progressively more accurate. The number of stages applied to a given signal can be optimized to achieve a suitably low bit-error rate. Power is saved by disabling stages which are not required to meet that goal.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2019Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Prashant Choudhary, Nanyang Wang
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Patent number: 11501848Abstract: A controller includes an internal memory to store an address and a memory control unit operatively coupled with the internal memory. The memory control unit includes logic to identify a malfunctioning address of primary data storage elements within an external memory device, the external memory device being another semiconductor device separate from the controller, store the malfunctioning address in the internal memory, and transmit, to the external memory device, a command to initiate a repair of the malfunctioning address using redundant data storage elements and an indication of an address associated with the malfunctioning address.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2021Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Adrian E. Ong, Fan Ho
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Patent number: 11502878Abstract: A signaling system is described. The signaling system comprises a transmit device, a receive device including a partial response receive circuit, and a signaling path coupling the transmit device and the receive device. The receive device observes an equalized signal from the signaling path, and includes circuitry to use feedback from the most recent previously resolved symbol to sample a currently incoming symbol. The transmit device equalizes transmit data to transmit the equalized signal, by applying weighting based on one or more data values not associated with the most recent previously resolved symbol value.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2020Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Vladimir M. Stojanovic, Andrew C. Ho, Anthony Bessios, Bruno W. Garlepp, Grace Tsang, Mark A. Horowitz, Jared L. Zerbe, Jason C. Wei
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Patent number: 11487679Abstract: A semiconductor memory system includes a first semiconductor memory die and a second semiconductor memory die. The first semiconductor memory die includes a primary data interface to receive an input data stream during write operations and to deserialize the input data stream into a first plurality of data streams, and also includes a secondary data interface, coupled to the primary data interface, to transmit the first plurality of data streams. The second semiconductor memory die includes a secondary data interface, coupled to the secondary data interface of the first semiconductor memory die, to receive the first plurality of data streams.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2020Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Amir Amirkhany, Suresh Rajan, Mohammad Hekmat, Dinesh Patil
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Patent number: 11487617Abstract: A memory component internally generates and stores the check bits of error detect and correct code (EDC). In a first mode, during a read transaction, the check bits are sent to the memory controller along with the data on the data mask (DM) signal lines. In a second mode, an unmasked write transaction is defined where the check bits are sent to the memory component on the data mask signal lines. In a third mode, a masked write transaction is defined where at least a portion of the check bits are sent from the memory controller on the data signal lines coincident with an asserted data mask signal line. By sending the check bits along with the data, the EDC code can be used to detect and correct errors that occur between the memory component and the memory controller.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2020Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Brent S. Haukness, Lawrence Lai
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Patent number: 11488018Abstract: One or more neural network layers are implemented by respective sets of signed multiply-accumulate units that generate dual analog result signals indicative of positive and negative product accumulations, respectively. The two analog result signals and thus the positive and negative product accumulations are differentially combined to produce a merged analog output signal that constitutes the output of a neural node within the subject neural network layer.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2020Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventor: Steven C. Woo
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Patent number: 11487676Abstract: A memory system includes an address mapping circuit. The address mapping circuit receives an input memory address having a first set of address bits. The address mapping circuit applies a logic function to the input memory address to generate a mapped memory address. The logic function uses at least a subset of the first set of address bits in two separate operations that respectively determine two portions of the mapped memory address.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2020Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Hongzhong Zheng, James Tringali
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Patent number: 11489703Abstract: An intergrated circuit (IC) chip includes receiver circuitry to receive signals from a second IC chip. The receiver circuitry includes equalization circuitry having at least one tap to equalize the signals. The equalization circuitry includes a tap weight adapter circuit to generate at least one tap weight corresponding to the at least one tap based on edge information of previously received signals.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2020Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Brian S. Leibowitz, Hae-Chang Lee, Jihong Ren, Ruwan Ratnayake
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Patent number: 11481192Abstract: A combinational logic circuit includes input circuitry to receive a first and second input signals that transition between supply voltages of first and second voltage domain, respectively. The input circuitry generates, based on the first and second input signals, a first internal signal that transitions between one of the supply voltages of the first voltage domain and one of the supply voltages of the second voltage domain. Output circuitry within the combinational logic circuit generates an output signal that transitions between the upper and lower supply voltages of the first voltage domain in response to transition of the first internal signal.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2021Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, John Eric Linstadt
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Patent number: RE49305Abstract: A data processing system having debugging circuitry and a method for operating the data processing system is provided. In the system, a processor has a cache memory and is coupled to a system bus. An instruction is received which indicates an effective address. The instruction is executed and it is determined if the effective address results in a hit or a miss in the cache. If the effective address results in a hit, data associated with the effective address is provided from the cache to the system bus without modifying a state of the cache. The instruction allows real-time debugging circuits to be able to view the current value of one or more variables in memory that may be hidden from access due to cache hierarchy without modifying the value or impacting the current state of the cache.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2020Date of Patent: November 22, 2022Assignee: RAMBUS INC.Inventor: William C Moyer