Patent · US Expired

Managing idle time and performing lookup operations to adapt to refresh requirements or operational rates of the particular associative memory or other devices used to implement the system

US7028136B1 · kind B1 · utility

24Cited by
77References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 31, 2003
Grant dateApr 11, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 30, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F16/90339
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for, inter alia, managing idle time and performing lookup operations to adapt to refresh requirements and/or operational rates of the particular associative memory or other devices used to implement the system. A system typically a controller coupled to a circuit including includes multiple associative memories. The controller receives performance information from at least one of the associative memories and generates idle time corresponding to the performance information. This performance information may include an actual refresh requirement for each of the associate memories or the worst-case requirement of one of the associative memories, so that the controller can intermittently provide the actual refresh cycles required, if any, by a particular implementation. This performance information may indicate for some or all instructions the actual time required by a particular instruction, so that the controller can operate based on the actual time required, rather than inefficiently operating on a worst-case time defined in a specification or data sheet.

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