Methods and apparatus for bypassing refreshing of selected portions of DRAM devices
US6310813A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 21, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 30, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 21, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C11/406
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Refreshing of a portion of a DRAM device is bypassed when carrying out a refreshing operation on the DRAM device. By bypassing the refreshing of a portion of the DRAM device when carrying out a refreshing operation, the operational speed of the DRAM device and of systems that use the DRAM device can be increased, and/or the power consumption thereof can be decreased. More specifically, graphic memory apparatus include a DRAM device that is divided into a frame buffer zone that supplies pixel data for a display and at least one other zone, such as a z buffer and/or a texture storing zone. Refreshing of the frame buffer zone is bypassed when carrying out a refreshing operation on the DRAM device. In a preferred embodiment, indications of a starting DRAM address and an ending DRAM address for the frame buffer may be stored. A refreshing operation is performed only on those DRAM addresses that fall outside the starting address and the ending address.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.