Patents Assigned to Rambus
  • Patent number: 12002540
    Abstract: A memory device includes a set of inputs, and a first register that includes a first register field to store a value for enabling application of one of a plurality of command/address (CA) on-die termination (ODT) impedance values to first inputs that receive the CA signals; and a second register field to store a value for enabling application of one of a plurality of chip select (CS) ODT impedance values to a second input that receives the CS signal. A third register field may store a value for enabling application of a clock (CK) ODT impedance value to third inputs that receive the CK signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: RAMBUS INC.
    Inventors: Ian Shaeffer, Kyung Suk Oh
  • Patent number: 12002532
    Abstract: A memory component and a controller communicate commands and data with each other The commands to activate and then access data, and the data itself, are all communicated between a controller and the memory component at different times. The controller and memory component each calculate a respective error detecting code (EDC) values on the activate command information (e.g., bank address and row address) and store them indexed by the bank address. When the memory component is accessed, retrieved EDC values are combined with EDC values calculated from the access command information, and the data itself. The memory component transmits its combined EDC value to the controller for checking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: John Eric Linstadt, Frederick A. Ware
  • Patent number: 12002506
    Abstract: A DRAM device may be configured to retransmit or not retransmit zero or more of command/address signals, write data signals, read data signals, and/or data strobe signals. The DRAM device may have separate, unidirectional read data signal and write data signal interfaces. Combined activate and read or write commands may be implemented. The configuration of the DRAM to retransmit or not retransmit signals may be determined by the DRAM device's physical location on a module via hardwired configuration pins. The various configurations allows a DRAM device to be used on both a long and narrow form factor module and a DIMM module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventor: Torsten Partsch
  • Patent number: 11994930
    Abstract: Embodiments generally relate to a memory device. In one embodiment, the memory device includes a clock receiver circuit that receives an external clock signal and provides an internal clock signal. The memory device also includes a delay-locked loop circuit (DLL) having an input, and a circuit that receives the internal clock signal. The circuit selects which pulses of the internal clock signal are applied to the input of the DLL, such that no more than two clock pulses selected from at least three consecutive pulses of the external clock signal are applied to the input of the DLL during a predetermined interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Dinesh Patil, Amir Amirkhany, Farrukh Aquil, Kambiz Kaviani, Frederick A. Ware
  • Patent number: 11996164
    Abstract: Within a memory control component, command/address circuitry transmits a first command/address value to a memory component during a first interval and a second command/address value to the memory component during a second interval, and timing circuitry transmits a data strobe to the memory component during the first interval and a data clock to the memory component during the second interval. The timing circuitry transitions the data strobe from a parked state to a toggling state during the first interval at a predetermined time relative to transmission of the first command/address value and toggles the data clock throughout the second interval regardless of time of transmission of the second command/address value. Data signaling circuitry transmits first write data to the memory component during the first interval synchronously with the write-data strobe signal and transmits second write data to the memory component during the second interval synchronously with the write-data clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventor: Torsten Partsch
  • Patent number: 11996167
    Abstract: A random number generator selects addresses while a ‘scoreboard’ bank of registers (or bits) tracks which addresses have already been output (e.g., for storing or retrieval of a portion of the data.) When the scoreboard detects an address has already been output, a second address which has not been used yet is output rather than the randomly selected one. The second address may be selected from nearby addresses that have not already been output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Scott C. Best, Mark Evan Marson, Joel Wittenauer
  • Patent number: 11996160
    Abstract: In a chip-to-chip signaling system includes at least one signaling link coupled between first and second ICs, the first IC has an interface coupled to the signaling link and timed by a first interface timing signal. The second IC has an interface coupled to the signaling link and timed by a second interface timing signal that is mesochronous with respect to the first interface timing signal. The second IC further has phase adjustment circuitry that adjusts a phase of the second interface timing signal using a digital counter implemented with Josephson-junction circuit elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, John Eric Linstadt, Carl W. Werner
  • Patent number: 11990912
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a delay circuit and first and second interface circuits. The delay circuit delays a first timing signal by an internal delay to generate an internal timing signal. The first interface circuit communicates data to an external device in response to the internal timing signal. The second interface circuit transmits an external timing signal for capturing the data in the external device. An external delay is added to the external timing signal in the external device to generate a delayed external timing signal. The delay circuit sets the internal delay based on a comparison between the delayed external timing signal and a calibration signal transmitted by the first interface circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Ely Tsern, Brian Leibowitz, Jared Zerbe
  • Patent number: 11990177
    Abstract: A memory is disclosed that includes a logic die having first and second memory interface circuits. A first memory die is stacked with the logic die, and includes first and second memory arrays. The first memory array couples to the first memory interface circuit. The second memory array couples to the second interface circuit. A second memory die is stacked with the logic die and the first memory die. The second memory die includes third and fourth memory arrays. The third memory array couples to the first memory interface circuit. The fourth memory array couples to the second memory interface circuit. Accesses to the first and third memory arrays are carried out independently from accesses to the second and fourth memory arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Scott C. Best, Ming Li
  • Patent number: 11989430
    Abstract: A memory module includes one or more memory devices and a memory interface chip coupled to the one or more memory devices via one or more communication links. The memory module further includes a persistent memory storing one or more sets of training and calibration settings corresponding to communication over the one or more communication links, where the one or more sets of training and calibration settings are stored in the persistent memory before operation of the memory module and used to configure one or more components of the memory interface chip during the operation of the memory module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Vogelsang, Brent Steven Haukness
  • Patent number: 11989609
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method for securing the execution of a program by a processor, including a comparison instruction for comparing two data items, followed by a program operation which is selected as a function of a comparison result provided by the comparison instruction. The method may include, before the execution of the comparison instruction, calculating in various ways comparison data representative of the equality of the data to be compared, after the execution of the comparison instruction, verifying whether the comparison data calculated are consistent with the fact that the program operation is selected or not selected, and activating an error signal if the comparison data are mutually inconsistent or inconsistent with the result of the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Vincent Dupaquis, Eric Le Cocquen
  • Patent number: 11983031
    Abstract: A memory system in which a timing drift that would occur in distribution of a first timing signal for data transport in a memory device is determined by measuring the actual phase delays occurring in a second timing signal that has a frequency lower than that of the first timing signal and is distributed in one or more circuits mimicking the drift characteristics of at least a portion of distribution of the first timing signal. The actual phase delays are determined in the memory device and provided to a memory controller so that the phases of the timing signals used for data transport may be adjusted based on the determined timing drift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Kim, Pak Shing Chau, Wayne S. Richardson
  • Patent number: 11983137
    Abstract: An integrated circuit device is disclosed including core circuitry and interface circuitry. The core circuitry outputs in parallel a set of data bits, while the interface circuitry couples to the core circuitry. The interface circuitry receives in parallel a first number of data bits among the set of data bits from the core circuitry and outputs in parallel a second number of data bits. The ratio of the first number to the second number is a non-power-of-2 value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventor: Frederick A Ware
  • Patent number: 11977442
    Abstract: A serial presence detect (SPD) device includes nonvolatile memory to store SPD information. Parity information suitable for single error correct and double error detect (SEC-DED) is also stored in association with the SPD information in the nonvolatile memory. The combination of SPD information and parity information is organized into codewords addressable at each memory location. During an initialization period occurring after a power on reset and before the SPD device is accepting I2C commands, the SPD device checks each memory location (codeword) for errors. Each error detected is counted to provide an indicator of device health. Before the initialization period expires, the SPD device writes a corrected codeword back to the nonvolatile memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Aws Shallal, Chen Chen
  • Patent number: 11973153
    Abstract: A memory controller comprises a command interface to transmit a memory command to a plurality of memory devices associated with the memory controller. The memory controller also comprises an acknowledgement interface to receive an acknowledgment status packet from the plurality of memory devices over a shared acknowledgement link coupled between the memory controller and the plurality of memory devices, the acknowledgement status packet indicating whether the command was received by the plurality of memory devices. In addition, the memory controller comprises a memory controller core to decode the acknowledgment status packet to identify a portion of the acknowledgement status packet corresponding to each of the plurality of memory devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Yohan Frans, Simon Li, John Eric Linstadt, Jun Kim
  • Patent number: 11972121
    Abstract: Power consumption in a three-dimensional stack of integrated-circuit memory dies is reduced through selective enabling/disabling of physical signaling interfaces in those dies in response to early transmission of chip identifier information relative to command execution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Vogelsang, Liji Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 11967364
    Abstract: Described are memory modules that support different error detection and correction (EDC) schemes in both single- and multiple-module memory systems. The memory modules are width configurable and support the different EDC schemes for relatively wide and narrow module data widths. Data buffers on the modules support the half-width and full-width modes, and also support time-division-multiplexing to access additional memory components on each module in support of enhanced EDC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, John Eric Linstadt, Kenneth L. Wright
  • Patent number: 11963299
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein describe technologies for memory systems. One implementation of a memory system includes a motherboard substrate with multiple module sockets, at least one of which is populated with a memory module. A first set of data lines is disposed on the motherboard substrate and coupled to the module sockets. The first set of data lines includes a first subset of point-to-point data lines coupled between a memory controller and a first socket and a second subset of point-to-point data lines coupled between the memory controller and a second socket. A second set of data lines is disposed on the motherboard substrate and coupled between the first socket and the second socket. The first and second sets of data lines can make up a memory channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Suresh Rajan
  • Patent number: 11960438
    Abstract: A stacked processor-plus-memory device includes a processing die with an array of processing elements of an artificial neural network. Each processing element multiplies a first operand—e.g. a weight—by a second operand to produce a partial result to a subsequent processing element. To prepare for these computations, a sequencer loads the weights into the processing elements as a sequence of operands that step through the processing elements, each operand stored in the corresponding processing element. The operands can be sequenced directly from memory to the processing elements or can be stored first in cache. The processing elements include streaming logic that disregards interruptions in the stream of operands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Steven C. Woo, Michael Raymond Miller
  • Patent number: 11960344
    Abstract: A memory controller component of a memory system stores memory access requests within a transaction queue until serviced so that, over time, the transaction queue alternates between occupied and empty states. The memory controller transitions the memory system to a low power mode in response to detecting the transaction queue is has remained in the empty state for a predetermined time. In the transition to the low power mode, the memory controller disables oscillation of one or more timing signals required to time data signaling operations within synchronous communication circuits of one or more attached memory devices and also disables one or more power consuming circuits within the synchronous communication circuits of the one or more memory devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Robert E. Palmer, John W. Poulton, Andrew M. Fuller