Patent · US Expired

Memory controllers having pins with selectable functionality

US7058778B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
8References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 30, 2001
Grant dateJun 6, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 9, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F13/1694
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Systems and methods for selecting pin functionality in memory controllers are provided. These memory controllers have pins that can be used to drive different types of signals, depending on the type of memory coupled to the memory controller. For example, pins can be used to drive clock signals or chip select signals. Accordingly, because different types of memory require different numbers of clock and chip select signals, the same memory controller can be advantageously used with different types of memory. Moreover, memory controller pins that would ordinarily go unused with some types of memory can now be used to increase the number of such memories that can be coupled to the memory controller.

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