Patent · US Active

Cache memory error detection circuits for detecting bit flips in valid indicators in cache memory following invalidate operations, and related methods and processor-based systems

US9329930B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by
5References
28Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 18, 2014
Grant dateMay 3, 2016
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 19, 2034

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/0891
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Aspects disclosed herein include cache memory error detection circuits for detecting bit flips in valid indicators (e.g., valid bits) in cache memory following invalidate operations. Related methods and processor-based systems are also disclosed. If a cache hit results from access to a cache entry following an invalidate operation, a bit flip(s) has occurred in a valid indicator of the cache entry. This is because the valid indicator should indicate an invalid state following the invalidate operation of the cache entry, as opposed to a valid state. Thus, a cache memory error detection circuit is configured to determine if an invalidate operation was performed on the cache entry. The cache memory error detection circuit can cause a cache miss or an error for the accessed cache entry to be generated as a result, even though the valid indicator for the cache entry indicates a valid state due to the bit flip(s).

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