IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,586,239
Granted Patent B2
US 11,586,239 · App. 17/354,548 · Granted Feb 21, 2023

Electronic device and method for controlling device clock frequencies based on detected link information

Inventors: Ku Ik Kwon (Icheon-si, KR); Kyeong Seok Kim (Icheon-si, KR); Su Ik Park (Icheon-si, KR); Yong Joon Joo (Icheon-si, KR)
Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
G06F1/08G06F1/324G06F9/4401G06F13/1668G06F1/04G06F13/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,586,239
App. No.
17/354,548
Granted
Feb 21, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Electronic devices are disclosed. In some implementations, an electronic device includes a device interface to provide an interface to a host and detect link information associated with a bandwidth provided by the device interface in communicating with the host, a processor coupled to the device interface to be in communication with the host, and structured to be operable to control operations of the electronic device in response to a request received from the host through the device interface, and a clock generator coupled to provide the device interface and the processor with clock signals to be used to operate the device interface and the processor. The processor is configured to adjust frequencies of the clock signals based on the link information.

Claims (38)

1. An electronic device comprising:

a device interface to provide an interface to a host and detect link information associated with a bandwidth provided by the device interface in communicating with the host;

a processor coupled to the device interface to be in communication with the host, and configured to control operations of the electronic device in response to a request received from the host through the device interface; and

a clock generator coupled to provide the device interface and the processor with clock signals to be used to operate the device interface and the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to adjust frequencies of the clock signals based on the link information,

wherein the link information includes link version information or link lane count or both the link version information and the link lane count.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the device interface performs a link training operation on a link to the host by using an interface of a lower version between the device interface and an interface of the host, and selects information on the lower-version interface as the link version information.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the device interface performs a link training operation on a link to the host by using an interface having a smaller number of lanes between the device interface and an interface of the host, and selects the interface having the smaller number of lanes as the link lane count.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor adjust the frequencies of the clock signals to use a lower frequency clock for a lower-version interface or an interface having a smaller number of lanes.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the device interface performs a link training operation on a link to the host during booting of the electronic device and detects the link information after completion of the link training operation.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the processor obtains the link information upon completion of the link training operation and terminates the booting of the electronic device after adjusting the frequencies of the clock signals.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor adjusts the frequencies of the clock signals based on a lookup table mapping frequencies of the clock signals to the link information.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor further includes a register, and the device interface stores the detected link information in the register.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor adjusts the frequencies of the clock signals based on the link information and stores the adjusted frequencies of the clock signals in the register, and

wherein the clock generator provides the device interface and the processor with the clock signals based on the frequencies of the clock signals stored in the register.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first memory device including one or more data storage components configured to store data;

a memory interface to provide an interface between the first memory device and the processor; and

a second memory device to store data for operating the electronic device,

wherein the clock generator further provides the first memory device, the memory interface and the second memory device with the clock signals, and

wherein the processor further adjusts the clock signals of the first memory device, the memory interface and the second memory device based on the detected link information.

11. An operating method of an electronic device, comprising:

detecting link information associated with a bandwidth provided by a device interface in communicating with a host;

adjusting frequencies of a plurality of clock signals that are used to operate the electronic device based on the detected link information; and

providing the electronic device with the plurality of clock signals having frequencies that are adjusted based on the detected link information,

wherein the link information includes link version information or link lane count or both the link version information and the link lane count.

12. The operating method of claim 11 , wherein the detecting of the link information includes:

performing a link training operation on a link to the host by using an interface of a lower version between the device interface and an interface of the host; and

selecting information on the lower-version interface as the link version information.

13. The operating method of claim 11 , wherein the detecting of the link information includes:

performing a link training operation on a link to the host by using an interface having a smaller number of lanes between the device interface and an interface of the host; and

selecting the smaller number of lanes as the link lane count.

14. The operating method of claim 11 , wherein the providing of the clock signals includes adjusting the frequencies of the clock signals to use a lower frequency clock for a lower-version interface or an interface having a smaller number of lanes.

15. The operating method of claim 11 , further comprising performing a link training operation on a link to the host during booting of the electronic device,

wherein the detecting of the link information is performed after the link training operation is completed.

16. The operating method of claim 15 , further comprising terminating the booting of the electronic device after adjusting the frequencies of the clock signals the electronic device based on the detected link information.

17. The operating method of claim 11 , wherein the adjusting of the frequencies of clock signals includes adjusting the frequencies of the clock signals based on a lookup table mapping frequencies of the clock signals to the link information.

18. The operating method of claim 11 , further comprising providing a memory device, a memory interface and a memory in the electronic device with the clock signals having the frequencies adjusted based on the detected link information.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 22, 2021
From: JOO, YONG JOON; PARK, SU IK; KIM, KYEONG SEOK; KWON, KU IK
To: SK HYNIX INC.
Reel/Frame 056622/0764 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2020-0105211 · Aug 21, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220057827A1 · Feb 24, 2022