Patent · US Expired

System and method for assigning addresses to memory devices

US6175891A · kind A · utility

40Cited by
7References
52Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 23, 1997
Grant dateJan 16, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 23, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/0661
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A memory system having a memory controller and several separate memory devices connected to the controller by a system bus. The memory devices each included an array of memory cells, addressing circuitry used to address the cells and an address storage circuit which stores a local address unique to each of the memory devices. The local addresses are sequentially assigned to the memory devices by selecting a first one of the devices and forwarding an address assign command to the selected device. A command decoder, having detected the address assign command, will permit a local address placed on the bus by the controller to be loaded into the selected memory device. This sequence will continue until all of the memory devices have been assigned local addresses at which time the memory devices can be accessed to perform memory read, program, erase and other operations.

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