Patents Assigned to Rambus
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Publication number: 20190052490Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for direct sequence detection can receive an input signal over a communication channel. Next, the input signal can be sampled based on a clock signal to obtain a sampled voltage. A set of reference voltages can be generated based on a main cursor, a set of pre-cursors, and a set of post-cursors associated with the communication channel. Each generated reference voltage in the set of reference voltages can correspond to a particular sequence of symbols. A sequence corresponding to the sampled voltage can be selected based on comparing the sampled voltage with the set of reference voltages.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 27, 2018Publication date: February 14, 2019Applicant: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Masum Hossain, Maruf H. Mohammad
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Patent number: 10205614Abstract: A signaling system includes a pre-emphasizing transmitter and an equalizing receiver coupled to one another via a high-speed signal path. The receiver measures the quality of data conveyed from the transmitter. A controller uses this information and other information to adaptively establish appropriate transmit pre-emphasis and receive equalization settings, e.g. to select the lowest power setting for which the signaling system provides some minimum communication bandwidth without exceeding a desired bit-error rate.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2018Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Jared L. Zerbe, Fred F. Chen, Andrew Ho, Ramin Farjad-Rad, John W. Poulton, Kevin S. Donnelly, Brian S. Leibowitz, Vladimir Stojanovic
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Patent number: 10204063Abstract: A memory controller interfaces with one or more memory devices having configurable width data buses and configurable connectivity between data pins of the memory devices and data pins of the memory controller. Upon initialization of the memory devices, the memory controller automatically discovers the connectivity configuration of the one or more memory devices, including both individually selected and jointly selected devices. After discovering connectivity of the connected devices, the memory controller configures the memory devices according to the discovered connectivity and assigns unique addresses to jointly selected devices.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2018Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventor: John Eric Linstadt
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Patent number: 10205458Abstract: In a first clock frequency multiplier, multiple injection-locked oscillators (ILOs) having spectrally-staggered lock ranges are operated in parallel to effect a collective input frequency range substantially wider than that of a solitary ILO. After each input frequency change, the ILO output clocks may be evaluated according to one or more qualifying criteria to select one of the ILOs as the final clock source. In a second clock frequency multiplier, a flexible-injection-rate injection-locked oscillator locks to super-harmonic, sub-harmonic or at-frequency injection pulses, seamlessly transitioning between the different injection pulse rates to enable a broad input frequency range. The frequency multiplication factor effected by the first and/or second clock frequency multipliers in response to an input clock is determined on the fly and then compared with a programmed (desired) multiplication factor to select between different frequency-divided instances of the frequency-multiplied clock.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2017Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Jared L. Zerbe, Brian S. Leibowitz, Masum Hossain
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Patent number: 10204662Abstract: A memory device includes a first dynamic random access memory (DRAM) integrated circuit (IC) chip including first memory core circuitry, and first input/output (I/O) circuitry. A second DRAM IC chip is stacked vertically with the first DRAM IC chip. The second DRAM IC chip includes second memory core circuitry, and second I/O circuitry. Solely one of the first DRAM IC chip or the second DRAM IC chip includes a conductive path that electrically couples at least one of the first memory core circuitry or the second memory core circuitry to solely one of the first I/O circuitry or the second I/O circuitry, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2017Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventor: Thomas Vogelsang
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Patent number: 10205461Abstract: Methods and apparatuses featuring an injection-locked oscillator (ILO) are described. In some embodiments, an ILO can have multiple injection points and a free-running frequency that is capable of being adjusted based on a control signal. In some embodiments, each injection point of an ILO can correspond to a phase tuning range. In some embodiments, a circuit can include circuitry to detect a phase boundary between two adjacent phase tuning ranges. In some embodiments, a circuit can use the detected phase boundary to switch between the two adjacent phase tuning ranges.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2017Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Marko Aleksić, Brian S. Leibowitz
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Patent number: 10198314Abstract: A memory device is disclosed that includes a row of storage locations to store a data word, and a spare row element. The data word is encoded via an error code for generating error information for correcting X bit errors or detecting Y bit errors, where Y is greater than X. The spare row element has substitute storage locations. The logic is responsive to detected errors to (1) enable correction of a data word based on the error information where there are no more than X bit errors, and (2) substitute the spare row element for a portion of the row where there are at least Y bit errors in the data word.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2014Date of Patent: February 5, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Suresh Rajan, Brent Haukness, Scott C. Best, Wayne F. Ellis
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Patent number: 10199089Abstract: A memory stack comprises at least two memory components. The memory components have a first data link interface and are to transmit signals on a data link coupled to the first data link interface at a first voltage level. A buffer component has a second data link interface coupled to the data link. The buffer component is to receive signals on the second data link interface at the first voltage level. A level shifting latch produces a second voltage level in response to receiving the signals at the second data link interface, where the second voltage level is higher than the first voltage level.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2018Date of Patent: February 5, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, John Eric Linstadt, Thomas Vogelsang
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Patent number: 10200220Abstract: A transmitter for providing channel equalization that includes a first driver and second driver having a high pass filter. The first driver generates a first output signal representing a digital input signal. The second driver generates a second output signal representing a high pass filtered version of the digital input signal. The first and second output signals are summed to provide a third output signal that is channel equalized for transmission over a channel.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2017Date of Patent: February 5, 2019Assignee: Rambus IncInventor: John Wood Poulton
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Patent number: 10198187Abstract: In an example, the present invention provides a memory interface device. The device has a command interface, address interface, and a control interface device coupled, respectively, to a command address bus, an address bus, and a control interface bus of a host memory controller. The device has a status signal interface configured to output a status signal coupled to the data interface bus of the host memory controller. In an example, the status signal is asserted in an absence of data asserted on the data interface bus.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2015Date of Patent: February 5, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventor: David Wang
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Patent number: 10192598Abstract: A memory device comprising a programmable command-and-address (CA) interface and/or a programmable data interface is described. In an operational mode, two or more CA interfaces may be active. In another operational mode, at least one, but not all, CA interfaces may be active. In an operational mode, all of the data interfaces may be active. In another operational mode, at least one, but not all, data interfaces may be active. The memory device can include circuitry to select: an operational mode; a sub-mode within an operational mode; one or more CA interfaces as the active CA interface(s); a main CA interface from multiple active CA interfaces; and/or one or more data interfaces as the active data interfaces. The circuitry may perform these selection(s) based on one or more bits in one or more registers and/or one or more signals received on one or more pins.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2017Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Ian Shaeffer, Lawrence Lai, Fan Ho, David A. Secker, Wayne S. Richardson, Akash Bansal, Brian S. Leibowitz, Kyung Suk Oh
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Patent number: 10191822Abstract: The embodiments described herein describe technologies for non-volatile memory persistence in a multi-tiered memory system including two or more memory technologies for volatile memory and non-volatile memory.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2014Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, J. James Tringali, Ely Tsern
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Patent number: 10188289Abstract: A sensing device with an odd-symmetry grating projects near-field spatial modulations onto an array of closely spaced pixels. Due to physical properties of the grating, the spatial modulations are in focus for a range of wavelengths and spacings. The spatial modulations are captured by the array, and photographs and other image information can be extracted from the resultant data. Pixels responsive to infrared light can be used to make thermal imaging devices and other types of thermal sensors. Some sensors are well adapted for tracking eye movements, and others for imaging barcodes and like binary images. In the latter case, the known binary property of the expected images can be used to simplify the process of extracting image data.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2015Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork
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Patent number: 10192610Abstract: A memory controller receives data and phase-providing signals from a memory device. The phase-providing signal is not a clock signal, but is used by the memory controller to phase align a local data-sampling signal with the incoming data. The memory controller samples the data signal with the data-sampling signal. The memory controller can perform maintenance operations to update the phase relationship between the phase-providing and data-sampling signals.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2017Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Scott C. Best, Richard E. Warmke, David B. Roberts, Frank Lambrecht
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Patent number: 10192609Abstract: A memory component includes a memory core comprising dynamic random access memory (DRAM) storage cells and a first circuit to receive external commands. The external commands include a read command that specifies transmitting data accessed from the memory core. The memory component also includes a second circuit to transmit data onto an external bus in response to a read command and pattern register circuitry operable during calibration to provide at least a first data pattern and a second data pattern. During the calibration, a selected one of the first data pattern and the second data pattern is transmitted by the second circuit onto the external bus in response to a read command received during the calibration. Further, at least one of the first and second data patterns is written to the pattern register circuitry in response to a write command received during the calibration.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2017Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Craig E. Hampel, Richard E. Perego, Stefanos Sidiropoulos, Ely K. Tsern, Frederick A. Ware
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Patent number: 10193642Abstract: Described are methods and circuits for margin testing digital receivers. These methods and circuits prevent margins from collapsing in response to erroneously received data, and can thus be used in receivers that employ historical data to reduce intersymbol interference (ISI). Some embodiments detect receive errors for input data streams of unknown patterns, and can thus be used for in-system margin testing. Such systems can be adapted to dynamically alter system parameters during device operation to maintain adequate margins despite fluctuations in the system noise environment due to e.g. temperature and supply-voltage changes. Also described are methods of plotting and interpreting filtered and unfiltered error data generated by the disclosed methods and circuits. Some embodiments filter error data to facilitate pattern-specific margin testing.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2016Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Andrew Ho, Vladimir Stojanovic, Bruno W. Garlepp, Fred F. Chen
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Patent number: 10185499Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems having an integrated circuit device disposed within an integrated circuit package having a periphery, and within this periphery a transaction processor is configured to receive a combination of signals (e.g., using a standard memory interface), and intercept some of the signals to initiate a data transformation, and forward the other signals to one or more memory controllers within the periphery to execute standard memory access operations (e.g., with a set of DRAM devices). The DRAM devices may or may not be in within the package periphery. In some embodiments, the transaction processor can include a data plane and control plane to decode and route the combination of signals. In other embodiments, off-load engines and processor cores within the periphery can support execution and acceleration of the data transformations.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2014Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: David Wang, Nirmal Saxena
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Patent number: 10180865Abstract: A memory device includes a first interface that is to couple to a bidirectional link and a second interface to couple to a unidirectional link. An encoder generates first error-detection information corresponding to write data received via the bidirectional link for a write operation. An encoder generates second error-detection information corresponding to read data transmitted via the bidirectional link for a read operation. A transmitter coupled to the unidirectional link transmits the both the first and second error-detection information. A controller may receive the first and second error-detection information. Based on at least one of the first and second error-detection information, the controller may command the memory device to retry an operation.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2017Date of Patent: January 15, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Yuanlong Wang, Frederick A. Ware
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Patent number: 10177778Abstract: An apparatus comprising M time-interleaved analog to digital converters (ADC) that sample an input signal at M sampling phases, wherein M is equal to or greater than 4. A phase control circuit adjusts at least M?1 sampling phases of the M sampling phases. The phase control circuit comprises M?1 phase error detector circuits. Each phase error detector circuit detects a corresponding phase error for a corresponding sampling phase of the M?1 sampling phases based on a sample captured at a sampling phase of the M sampling phases immediately preceding the corresponding sampling phase and a sample captured at a sampling phase of the M sampling phases immediately subsequent to the corresponding sampling phase.Type: GrantFiled: November 27, 2017Date of Patent: January 8, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventor: Kenneth C. Dyer
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Patent number: 10177749Abstract: In an integrated-circuit component having a signal transmitter receives a transmitter power supply that cycles periodically between power-off and power-on voltage levels to define a sequence of enable intervals during which the signal transmitter is to output voltage levels corresponding to respective transmit data bits onto an external signaling link. The signal transmitter generates, at the start of each output-enable interval, an initial nonzero voltage having a first polarity across conductors of the external signaling link, and then conditionally transitions the initial nonzero voltage to a second nonzero voltage according to whether the transmit data bit corresponding to the output-enable interval has a predetermined one of two binary states, the second nonzero voltage having a polarity opposite the first polarity.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2017Date of Patent: January 8, 2019Assignee: Rambus Inc.Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, John Eric Linstadt, Carl W. Werner