Patent · US Expired

Integrated cache memory system with primary and secondary cache memories

US5249282A · kind A · utility

112Cited by
17References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 21, 1990
Grant dateSep 28, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 21, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/0897
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A central processing unit (10) has a cache memory system (24) associated therewith for interfacing with a main memory system (23). The cache memory system (24) includes a primary cache (26) comprised of SRAMS and a secondary cache (28) comprised of DRAM. The primary cache (26) has a faster access than the secondary cache (28). When it is determined that the requested data is stored in the primary cache (26) it is transferred immediately to the central processing unit (10). When it is determined that the data resides only in the secondary cache (28), the data is accessed therefrom and routed to the central processing unit (10) and simultaneously stored in the primary cache (26). If a hit occurs in the primary cache (26), it is accessed and output to a local data bus (32). If only the secondary cache (28) indicates a hit, data is accessed from the appropriate one of the arrays (80)-(86) and transferred through the primary cache ( 26) via transfer circuits (96), (98), (100) and (102) to the data bus (32). Simultaneously therewith, the data is stored in an appropriate one of the arrays (88)-(94). When a hit does not occur in either the secondary cache (28) or the primary cache (26), da…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.