US6581017B2
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System and method for minimizing delay variation in double data rate strobes
Assignee: Intel Corp
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Filing: 2001-06-28
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Granted: 2003-06-17
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Expires: 2021-06-28
Abstract
Abstract A system and method in which delay strobe variation in a double data rate device is calibrated by first individually calibrating all slave strobe delay devices at system startup. Thereafter, a master strobe delay device is activated periodically to determine an incremental delay adjustment. This incremental delay adjustment is then used to by the slave strobe delay devices to modify the calibration value performed by the slave strobe delay devices upon startup. In this manner, individual on-die variations are compensated for each slave strobe delay device and variations due to voltage and temperature changes are compensated for without effecting the normal operation of the slave strobe devices.
Inventors
- 👤 John F. Zumkehr
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 16:03
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11C; G11C7/00; G11C7/04; G06; G06F; G06F13/00; G06F13/14; G06F13/16; G06F13/1668; G06F13/1689; G11C7/10; G11C7/1072; G11C7/1078; G11C2207/00; G11C2207/10; G11C2207/107; G11C2207/22; G11C2207/2254
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
106 words
A method of determining a delay strobe time for a DDR device, comprising: calibrating a plurality of slave strobe delay devices during system startup contained in the DDR device to determine a variable delay element; determining an incremental delay adjustment by a master strobe delay device at a predetermined time interval; transmitting the incremental delay adjustment to the plurality of slave strobe delay devices at the predetermined time interval when the incremental delay adjustment is not equal to zero; and updating the variable delay element contained in the plurality of slave strobe delay devices using the incremental delay adjustment received from the master strobe delay device.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
106 words
A method of determining a delay strobe time for a DDR device, comprising: calibrating a plurality of slave strobe delay devices during system startup contained in the DDR device to determine a variable delay element; determining an incremental delay adjustment by a master strobe delay device at a predetermined time interval; transmitting the incremental delay adjustment to the plurality of slave strobe delay devices at the predetermined time interval when the incremental delay adjustment is not equal to zero; and updating the variable delay element contained in the plurality of slave strobe delay devices using the incremental delay adjustment received from the master strobe delay device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method recited in claim 1 , wherein the master strobe delay device is connected to a plurality of slave strobe devices and are similar in design except for the slave strobe delay device receives the incremental delay adjustment from the master strobe delay device and the master strobe delay device does not output data.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method recited in claim 2 , wherein the calibrating a plurality of slave strobe delay devices during system startup contained in the DDR device to determine a variable delay is performed by a frequency counter.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method recited in claim 3 , wherein the frequency counter measures the frequency of an oscillator formed by using the slave strobe delay device and determines a current delay value of the slave strobe delay device at system startup.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method recited in claim 1 , wherein updating the variable delay element contained in the plurality of slave strobe delay devices using the incremental delay adjustment received from the master strobe delay device, further comprises: adding the incremental delay adjustment to the variable delay element; storing the variable delay element in the slave strobe device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method recited in claim 5 , wherein the determining an incremental delay adjustment by a master strobe delay device at a predetermined time interval is performed by a frequency counter.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method recited in claim 6 , wherein the frequency counter measures the frequency of an oscillator formed by using the master strobe delay device and determines a current delay value of the slave strobe delay device at the predetermined interval.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
107 words
A computer program for determining a delay strobe time for a DDR device, comprising: calibrating a plurality of slave strobe delay devices during system startup contained in the DDR device to determine a variable delay element; determining an incremental delay adjustment by a master strobe delay device at a predetermined time interval; transmitting the incremental delay adjustment to the plurality of slave strobe delay devices at the predetermined time interval when the incremental delay adjustment is not equal to zero; and updating the variable delay element contained in the plurality of slave strobe delay devices using the incremental delay adjustment received from the master strobe delay device.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
107 words
A computer program for determining a delay strobe time for a DDR device, comprising: calibrating a plurality of slave strobe delay devices during system startup contained in the DDR device to determine a variable delay element; determining an incremental delay adjustment by a master strobe delay device at a predetermined time interval; transmitting the incremental delay adjustment to the plurality of slave strobe delay devices at the predetermined time interval when the incremental delay adjustment is not equal to zero; and updating the variable delay element contained in the plurality of slave strobe delay devices using the incremental delay adjustment received from the master strobe delay device.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
56 words
The computer program recited in claim 8 , wherein the master strobe delay device is connected to a plurality of slave strobe devices and are similar in design except for the slave strobe delay device receives the incremental delay adjustment from the master strobe delay device and the master strobe delay device does not output data.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
The computer program recited in claim 9 , wherein the calibrating a plurality of slave strobe delay devices during system startup contained in the DDR device to determine a variable delay is performed by a frequency counter.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
The computer program recited in claim 10 , wherein the frequency counter measures the frequency of an oscillator formed by using the slave strobe delay device and determines a current delay value of the slave strobe delay device at system startup.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
57 words
The computer program recited in claim 8 , wherein updating the variable delay element contained in the plurality of slave strobe delay devices using the incremental delay adjustment received from the master strobe delay device, further comprises: adding the incremental delay adjustment to the variable delay element; storing the variable delay element in the slave strobe device.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
The computer program recited in claim 12 , wherein the determining an incremental delay adjustment by a master strobe delay device at a predetermined time interval is performed by a frequency counter.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
42 words
A computer program recited in claim 13 , wherein the frequency counter measures the frequency of an oscillator formed by using the master strobe delay device and determines a current delay value of the slave strobe delay device at the predetermined interval.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
137 words
A system for determining a delay strobe time for a DDR device, comprising: a plurality of slave strobe delay devices calibrated at system startup to compensate for on-die variations in each individual salve strobe device of the plurality of slave strobe delay devices and storing the result of the calibration in a variable delay element; and a master strobe delay device connected to the plurality of slave strobe delay devices to determine an incremental delay adjustment at a predetermined time interval and when the incremental delay adjustment is not zero to transmit the incremental delay adjustment to each of the plurality of slave strobe delay devices, wherein upon receipt of the incremental delay adjustment by the plurality of slave strobe delay devices each slave strobe device will update the variable delay element using the incremental delay adjustment.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
137 words
A system for determining a delay strobe time for a DDR device, comprising: a plurality of slave strobe delay devices calibrated at system startup to compensate for on-die variations in each individual salve strobe device of the plurality of slave strobe delay devices and storing the result of the calibration in a variable delay element; and a master strobe delay device connected to the plurality of slave strobe delay devices to determine an incremental delay adjustment at a predetermined time interval and when the incremental delay adjustment is not zero to transmit the incremental delay adjustment to each of the plurality of slave strobe delay devices, wherein upon receipt of the incremental delay adjustment by the plurality of slave strobe delay devices each slave strobe device will update the variable delay element using the incremental delay adjustment.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
52 words
The system recited in claim 15 , wherein the master strobe delay device and the plurality of slave strobe devices are similar in design except for the slave strobe delay device receives the incremental delay adjustment from the master strobe delay device and the master strobe delay device does not output data.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system recited in claim 16 , wherein the master strobe delay device and the slave strobe delay device each have a frequency counter to determine a variable delay.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system recited in claim 17 , wherein the frequency counter measures the frequency of an oscillator formed by using the slave strobe delay device or the master strobe delay device and determines a current delay value of the slave strobe delay device or the master strobe delay device.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system recited in claim 18 , wherein the slave strobe delay devices each slave strobe device will update the variable delay element using the incremental delay adjustment.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-06-16 | 2006-12-16 | 2007-06-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-06-16 | 2010-12-16 | 2011-06-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-06-16 | 2014-12-16 | 2015-06-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |