# US 2021/0241844 A1 · Command/address channel error detection

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- Number: US 2021/0241844 A1
- Document ID: US20210241844A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/049,282
- Filed: 2019-03-20
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2018-03-26
- Assignees: Rambus Inc.
- Applicants: Rambus Inc.
- Inventors: John Eric LINSTADT; Frederick A. WARE
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210241844A1

## CPC

- G06F 11/1004: {to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum (G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00)}
- G11C 29/42: using error correcting codes [ECC] or parity check
- G06F 11/30: Monitoring
- G11C 8/18: Address timing or clocking circuits; Address control signal generation or management, e.g. for row address strobe [RAS] or column address strobe [CAS] signals
- G11C 29/18: Address generation devices; Devices for accessing memories, e.g. details of addressing circuits
- G11C 29/44: Indication or identification of errors, e.g. for repair
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

A memory component and a controller communicate commands and data with each other The commands to activate and then access data, and the data itself, are all communicated between a controller and the memory component at different times. The controller and memory component each calculate a respective error detecting code (EDC) values on the activate command information (e.g., bank address and row address) and store them indexed by the bank address. When the memory component is accessed, retrieved EDC values are combined with EDC values calculated from the access command information, and the data itself. The memory component transmits its combined EDC value to the controller for checking.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A memory component, comprising:
a first interface to receive, from a controller, an activate command, an access command, and associated address information, the activate command associated with a first bank address value and a row address value, the access command associated with a second bank address value and a column address value;
a second interface to communicate, with the controller, data associated with the access command;
error detection code (EDC) calculation circuitry to calculate a first EDC value based on the first bank address value and the row address value, and to calculate a second EDC value based on the second bank address value and the column address value, and to calculate a third EDC value based on data communicated via the second interface;
circuitry to associate the second bank address value with stored activate command information, the stored activate command information to be based on the row address;
code combination circuitry to calculate a fourth EDC value based on the first EDC value, the second EDC value, and the third EDC value;
a third interface to transmit error detection information, the error detection information to include the fourth EDC value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The memory component of claim 1, wherein the stored activate command information includes the first EDC value.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The memory component of claim 1, wherein the stored activate command information includes the row address value.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The memory component of claim 1, wherein, based at least in part on the memory component being in a first mode, the error detection information is to include the fourth EDC value, and based at least in part on the memory component being in a second mode, the error detection information is to include the third EDC value.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The memory component of claim 1, wherein the access command corresponds to a read operation and the data communicated via the second interface is to be retrieved from a bank of the memory component and is to be transmitted to the controller.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The memory component of claim 1, wherein the access command corresponds to a write operation and the data communicated via the second interface is to be received from the controller and stored in a bank of the memory component.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The memory component of claim 1, wherein the EDC calculation circuitry generates EDC values based on an EDC encoding scheme that is a linear function.

### Claim 8

A memory component, comprising:
a first interface to receive, from a controller, an activate command, a write command, and associated address information, the activate command associated with a first bank address value and a row address value, the write command associated with a second bank address value and a column address value;
a second interface to receive, from the controller, data associated with the write command;
error detection code (EDC) calculation circuitry to calculate a first EDC value based on the first bank address value and the row address value, and to calculate a second EDC value based on the second bank address value and the column address value, and to calculate a third EDC value based on the data associated with the write command;
circuitry to associate the second bank address value with stored activate command information, the stored activate command information to be based on the row address value;
code combination circuitry to calculate a fourth EDC value based on the first EDC value, the second EDC value, and the third EDC value;
a third interface to receive, from the controller, error detection information corresponding to the write command; and,
error detection circuitry to, based on the fourth EDC value and the error detection information received from the controller, determine whether an error has occurred.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The memory component of claim 8, wherein the stored activate command information includes the first EDC value.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The memory component of claim 8, wherein the stored activate command information includes the row address value.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The memory component of claim 8, wherein, based at least in part on the memory component being in a first mode, the third interface is to receive, from the controller, the error detection information corresponding to the write command, and based at least in part on the memory component being in a second mode, the third interface is to transmit error detection information calculated by the memory component, the error detection information calculated by the memory component to include the third EDC value.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The memory component of claim 8, further comprising:
a fourth interface to transmit, to the controller, an indicator of whether the error has occurred.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The memory component of claim 8, wherein if the error detection circuitry determines that an error has occurred, the data associated with the write command is not stored in a bank of the memory component.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The memory component of claim 8, further comprising:
a fourth interface to transmit, to the controller, an indicator that an error has occurred;
circuitry to, in response at least to the determination that the error has occur, prevent the data associated with the write command from being stored in a bank of the memory component.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The memory component of claim 8, further comprising:
a storage element to, if the error detection circuitry determines that an error has occurred, store error information, the error information comprising at least one of the second bank address, the row address, and the column address.

### Claim 16

A memory component, comprising:
a first interface to receive, from a controller, a first command, a second command, and associated address information;
a second interface to communicate, with the controller, data associated with the second received command;
error detection code (EDC) calculation circuitry to calculate a first EDC value based on the first command, and to calculate a second EDC value based on data communicated via the second interface;
code modulation circuitry to calculate an EDC transmit value using an invertible function that is based on the first EDC value and a selected value, the selected EDC value to be provided by a source from a set of sources that include the EDC calculation circuitry providing the second EDC value;
a third interface to transmit, to the controller, the EDC transmit value.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The memory component of claim 16, wherein the first command and the second command communicate data via second interface during different time allocations.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The memory component of claim 16, wherein the invertible function comprises a bitwise exclusive-OR of at least one bit of the first EDC value with at least one bit of the selected value.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The memory component of claim 16, wherein the set of sources include a register that provides a hold value.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The memory component of claim 19 wherein the hold value is selected for commands that are not associated with data communicated via the second interface.
