Block mask ternary CAM
US6738862B1 · kind B1 · utility
69Cited by
27References
5Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 29, 2002 |
| Grant date | May 18, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 29, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C15/00
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention provides a method and system for flexible matching of data in a CAM, that does not use the overhead of one mask bit for each matched value bit. The entries of the CAM are logically grouped in a set of blocks, each block having a single mask that applies to all entries in the block. Each block includes a predetermined number of CAM entries, such as a block of 16 entries. However, in alternative embodiments, the number of CAM entries for each block could be predetermined to be a different number, or could be dynamically selected with the values that are entered into the CAM.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.