Hardware-assisted fast bank-swap in a content-addressable-memory (CAM) processor
US6549442B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 25, 2002 |
| Grant date | Apr 15, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 25, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C15/00
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An associative processor uses a content-addressable memory (CAM) array to operate on data. The array has several CAM banks that store data in CAM memory cells. Each CAM bank has a register file that stores compare data that drives compare bit lines to the CAM cells, which activate row-match signals for rows with matching data. Each CAM bank has a register file with copies of compare data for all CAM banks. An index value identifies which of the compare registers drives the bank's compare bit lines. When a bank-swap instruction is executed, the index values of two banks are swapped, causing the compare data to be used for a different CAM bank. The physical data in the CAM banks is not swapped, but the compare data used for comparisons is swapped. Since the register files contain all banks' compare data, the compare data does not have to be physically moved.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.