Integrated circuit pin sharing method and apparatus for diverse memory devices by multiplexing subsets of pins in accordance with operation modes
US6044412A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 21, 1997 |
| Grant date | Mar 28, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 21, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/1694
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention, generally speaking, provides for pin sharing between two or more disparate memory devices, a dynamic memory device such as a CD ROM drive or the like and a static memory device such as a ROM integrated circuit. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a common set of pins of an integrated circuit are used to interface to a plurality of different information storage device including both a dynamic storage device and static storage device by, in a first mode, using a first subset of the common set of pins to carry data information for one of the devices and, in a second mode, using the first subset of pins to carry address information for another one of the devices. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit includes a set of I/O pins, a multiplexer coupled to the set of I/O pins, and multiple device controllers coupled to the multiplexer, including both a dynamic storage device controller and a static storage device controller. Control circuitry is provided for, in a first mode, coupling a first one the device controllers through the multiplexer to the set of I/O pins and for, in a second mode, coupling a second on…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.