IP Library Granted Patent US 9,218,867
Granted Patent B2
US 9,218,867 · App. 14/198,398 · Granted Dec 22, 2015

Memory device and memory system with sensor

Inventor: Shinichiro Shiratake (Yokohama, JP)
Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
G11C11/1675G11C8/06G11C11/1653G11C7/1006G11C7/18G11C8/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,218,867
App. No.
14/198,398
Granted
Dec 22, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one embodiment, a memory device includes: a nonvolatile memory that stores data according to a write access; an address memory that stores a first address described with a gray code; a first counter that counts up the first address for each write access, generates a second address as the count-up result, and supplies the second address to the nonvolatile memory; a rounding circuit configured to calculate a third address that is equal to or larger than a final output of the first counter and larger than the first address by one or a power of two after a series of write accesses is completed; and a controller that rewrites the third address in the address memory.

Claims (52)

1. A memory device comprising:

a nonvolatile memory that stores data according to a write access;

an address memory that stores a first address described with a gray code;

a first counter that counts up the first address for each write access, generates a second address as the count-up result, and supplies the second address to the nonvolatile memory;

a rounding circuit configured to calculate a third address that is equal to or larger than a final output of the first counter and larger than the first address by one or a power of two after a series of write accesses is completed; and

a controller that rewrites the third address in the address memory.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a bit comparator configured to compare the first address with the third address, the controller rewriting an inconsistent bit between the first address and the third address in the address memory.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first counter receives a first clock including one or more pulses corresponding to write accesses and counts up the first address in response to a pulse of the first clock.

4. The device of claim 3 , further comprising a second counter that counts a pulse of the first clock, wherein

the rounding circuit includes

an extractor that outputs a value of a final output of the second counter as it is when the final output is one or a power of two and outputs a value that is larger than the final output of the second counter and is a power of two when the final output of the second counter is neither one nor a power of two, and

an adder that adds an output of the extractor to the first address read from the address memory.

5. The device of claim 4 , further comprising:

a first converter that converts the first address read from the address memory to a binary, and

a second converter that converts the third address output from the rounding circuit to a gray code, wherein

the first counter is a binary counter.

6. The device of claim 5 , further comprising a third converter that converts the second address output from the first counter to a gray code.

7. The device of claim 3 , further comprising a second counter that counts a pulse of a second clock that is one-pulse less than the first clock, wherein

the rounding circuit includes

an extractor that outputs a value (that is 1 when the final output of the second counter is 0) that is a power of two in which only a more significant bit than the most significant bit of the final output of the second counter is 1 and

an adder that adds an output of the extractor to the first address read from the address memory.

8. The device of claim 7 , further comprising

a first converter that converts the first address read from the address memory to a binary, and

a second converter that converts the third address output from the rounding circuit to a gray code, wherein

the first counter is a binary counter.

9. The device of claim 8 , further comprising a third converter that converts the second address output from the first counter to a gray code.

10. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a register that temporarily stores the first address read from the address memory.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the nonvolatile memory is an MRAM.

12. A memory system comprising:

a sensor;

a nonvolatile memory that stores data of the sensor according to a write access;

an address memory that stores a first address;

a first counter that counts up the first address for each write access and supplies a second address which is the count-up result to the nonvolatile memory; and

a controller that rewrites a final address in the address memory after a series of write accesses is completed.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first address is described with a gray code.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a rounding circuit configured to calculate a third address that is equal to or larger than a final output of the first counter and larger than the first address by one or a power of two after a series of write accesses is completed, wherein

the controller rewrites the third address in the address memory.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a bit comparator configured to compare the first address with the third address, the controller rewriting an inconsistent bit between the first address and the third address in the address memory.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first counter receives a first clock including one or more pulses corresponding to write accesses and counts up the first address in response to a pulse of the first clock.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a second counter that counts a pulse of the first clock, wherein

the rounding circuit includes

an extractor that outputs a value of a final output of the second counter as it is when the final output is one or a power of two and outputs a value that is larger than the final output of the second counter and is a power of two when the final output of the second counter is neither one nor a power of two, and

an adder that adds an output of the extractor to the first address read from the address memory.

18. The system of claim 17 , further comprising:

a first converter that converts the first address read from the address memory to a binary, and

a second converter that converts the third address output from the rounding circuit to a gray code, wherein

the first counter is a binary counter.

19. The system of claim 18 , further comprising a third converter that converts the second address output from the first counter to a gray code.

20. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a second counter that counts a pulse of a second clock that is one-pulse less than the first clock, wherein

the rounding circuit includes

an extractor that outputs a value (that is 1 when the final output of the second counter is 0) that is a power of two in which only a more significant bit than the most significant bit of the final output of the second counter is 1 and

an adder that adds an output of the extractor to the first address read from the address memory.

Assignments (5)
MERGER Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: K.K. PANGEA
Reel/Frame 055659/0471 →
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: KIOXIA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: K.K. PANGEA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0401 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2017
From: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043194/0382 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 5, 2014
From: SHIRATAKE, SHINICHIRO
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Reel/Frame 032359/0332 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61869293 · Aug 23, 2013
Related Publication 20150055403A1 · Feb 26, 2015