Method and apparatus for synchronizing transfer of data between memory cells
AssigneeVLSI Technology, Inc.
InventorKarl C. Buckenmaier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for synchronizing one or more data signal lines of a data bus to multiple clocks, and for guaranteeing the validity of the synchronized values. Exemplary embodiments avoid the need to eliminate delays between the asynchronous clocks. Thus, exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be used for reliably synchronizing the in-pointer and out-pointer of a first-in first-out memory.
Claims15
Apparatus for synchronizing data supplied via a first clock rate to a second clock rate, comprising:
- means for storing data, said data storing means having at least first and second memory cells;
- means for controlling the clocking of data into said first memory cell, said clocking control means inhibiting a loading of a first set of data into said first memory cell until a second set of data has been transferred from said first memory cell to said second memory cell;
- and
- means for controlling a transfer of said second set of data from said first memory cell to said second memory cell, said transfer control means including at least one edge detector for receiving an output from said clocking control means.
Apparatus for synchronizing data supplied via a first clock rate to a second clock rate, comprising:
- means for storing data, said data storing means having at least first and second memory cells;
- means for controlling the clocking of a first set of the data into said first memory cell;
- and
- means for controlling a transfer of the first set of the data from said first memory cell into said second memory cell by disabling the second memory cell until the first set of the data has been stored in said first memory cell, said transfer control means including at least one edge detector for receiving an output from said clocking control means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.