Abstract:
A method and apparatus for reducing power consumption needed to refresh a memory may receive data having been encoded using data bus inversion (DBI), the DBI data having a first delta between a number of zeros for different cases between zero and a DBI maximum, balance code the DBI data to balance the number of zeros across the DBI data, and output data having a number of zeros for different cases between a minimum number greater than zero and less than or equal to the DBI maximum and a maximum number equal to the minimum number plus a second delta, the second delta being less than the first delta.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reducing power needed to refresh a memory. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for balancing coding used during refresh of a memory.  
         [0002]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0003]     An interface system basically includes a transmitter that converts information into a signal, a transmission medium over which the signal is transmitted, and a receiver that receives and converts the signal back into usable information. Typically, drivers used in interface systems are inverter-type, i.e., when data is “1”, there is no current path, and when data is “0”, there is a current path through the transmission medium. Thus, according to the data level, the total current consumption of the drivers may vary, which may result in simultaneous switching noise (SSN).  
         [0004]     Further, parasitic inductance between voltage sources of the interface system may cause noise, e.g. jitter, and may reduce the voltage margin or time margin of the data signal. Finally, other noise may degrade data frequency and system performance.  
         [0005]     There are numerous coding techniques that may be used to provide fast, high quality, i.e., reduced noise, transmission. Different coding techniques may provide different tradeoffs, e.g., deployment, overhead, transition density and DC balance, alignment, error (protection, detection, replications), and complexity (gate count).  
         [0006]     One widely used coding technique is 8B/10B, which provides efficient transitions to guarantee proper DC balance, by ensuring that there are an equal number of ones and zeros in a stream, ease of alignment (finding where the byte starts in a bit stream), robustness (tolerance to errors), and low design complexity. The 8B/10B coding method maps 8B symbols to 10B symbols. All codes used in 8B/10B have from 3 to 10 transitions. Each code word never generates more than four ones or zeros in a row or creates an imbalance greater than one. Using these properties, each character is assigned two mappings (the code and the inverse of the code), and the transmit process may select the appropriate code (±) to keep the running disparity between ±1. This means that there are just as many “1” s as “0”s in a string of two symbols, and that there are not too many “1”s or “0”s in a row. This is an important attribute for a signal that needs to be sent at high rates because it helps reduce intersymbol interference.  
         [0007]     All of these features have made 8B/10B the most widely used coding method. However, 8B/10B has a large overhead of 25%, i.e., a symbol rate that is 25% greater than a data rate, a high coding complexity, and a large layout area. Further, as demand for faster computing devices has increased, frequencies at which these devices operate have increased. These higher frequencies demand more power. Most computing systems use dynamic memories, which may require periodic refreshing in order to maintain data stored therein. Typically, the more ones multi-bit data has, the more power is required to refresh the multi-bit data.  
         [0008]     A data bus inversion (DBI) method, illustrated in  FIG. 9 , may be used to reduce coding complexity, layout area and power consumption of the 8B/10B method.  
         [0009]     In particular, the DBI method may include receiving multi-bit data, e.g., eight-bit data, in step S 910  and counting a number of ones and zeros in the multi-bit data in step S 920 . Then, whether a number of zeros exceeds a predetermined value k, e.g., four for eight-bit data, may be determined in step S 930 . If the predetermined value k is exceeded, the data word may be inverted and a flag may be set to a first value, e.g., one, in step S 940 . If the predetermined value k is not exceeded, the data word may be maintained and the flag may be set to a second value, e.g., zero, in step S 950 . The data may then be decoded in accordance with the value of the flag. The flag serves as the inversion indicator.  
         [0010]     However, even using the DBI method, a number of data “0” may be between zero and four. Therefore, the maximum current consumption may still be 4*IDQ (quiescent current), where 1*IDQ refers to an amount of current consumption per one DQ.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The present invention is therefore directed to a method and apparatus, which substantially overcome one or more of the problems due to the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.  
         [0012]     It is therefore a feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that reduces power consumption needed to refresh a memory.  
         [0013]     It is therefore another feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that reduces noise during refresh of a memory.  
         [0014]     It is therefore another feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that balances coding using during refresh of a memory.  
         [0015]     At least one of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention may be realized by providing a method, including receiving data having been encoded using data bus inversion (DBI), the DBI data having a first delta between a number of zeros for different cases between zero and a DBI maximum, balance coding the DBI data to balance the number of zeros across the DBI data, and outputting data having a number of zeros for different cases between a minimum number greater than zero and less than or equal to the DBI maximum and a maximum number equal to the minimum number plus a second delta, the second delta being less than the first delta.  
         [0016]     The second delta may be half the first delta. The balance coding may be repeated n times and the second delta is greater than or equal to the first delta divided by 2 n .  
         [0017]     The balance coding may include, for each case, counting a number of data “0” in DBI data, including multi-bit data and an inversion indicator, comparing the number of data “0” with the minimum number, setting a flag to “1” when the number is greater than or equal to the minimum number, and outputting the flag and the DBI data as encoded data, setting the flag to “0” when the number is less than the minimum number, comparing the number of data “0” plus one to the minimum number, when the number of data “0” plus one is greater than or equal to the minimum number, outputting the flag and the DBI data as encoded data, and when the number of data “0” plus one is less than the minimum number, altering values of at least two least significant bits in the multi-bit data, outputting the inversion indicator, the flag and the altered multi-bit data as encoded data.  
         [0018]     The altering may include inverting the at least two least significant bits. The altering may include setting the at least two least significant bits to zero.  
         [0019]     The at least two least significant bits to be altered may be less than half of a number of bits of the multi-bit data and greater than or equal to a quarter of the number of bits of the multi-bit data. The balance coding may be repeated n times. The at least two least significant bits to be altered may be less than a number of bits of the multi-bit data divided by 2 n  and greater than or equal to the number of bits of the multi-bit data divided by 2 n+1 .  
         [0020]     The outputting may include storing the encoded data in a memory. The method may include reading encoded data stored in the memory, and restoring the at least two least significant bits in accordance with a value of the inversion indicator, a value of the flag and values of the at least two least significant bits. The method may include inverting the multi-bit data in accordance with the inversion indicator.  
         [0021]     At least one of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention may be realized by providing a system, including a balancing unit having a logic level detector receiving data bus inverted (DBI) data including multi-bit data and an inversion indicator, the logic level detector outputting a flag, the flag being a first value when a number of data “0” in the DBI data is less than a minimum number of data “0”, the minimum number being greater than zero and less than or equal to a DBI maximum number of zeros, and being a second value when the number of data “0” in the DBI data is greater than or equal to the minimum number, the logic level detector further outputting a trigger signal when the number of data “0” plus one is less than the minimum number, and a multiplexer receiving at least two least significant bits of the multi-bit data and the trigger signal from the logic level detector, the multiplexer altering the at least two least significant bits in response to the trigger signal, otherwise outputting the least significant bits unchanged, the balancing unit further outputting multi-bit data other than the least significant bits unchanged, the inversion indicator and the flag.  
         [0022]     The multiplexer may invert the at least two significant bits or may set the at least two significant bits to zero.  
         [0023]     The balancing unit may be employed n times, a number of least significant bits changed being less than a number of bits of the multi-bit data divided by 2 n  and greater than or equal to the number of bits of the multi-bit data divided by 2 n+1 .  
         [0024]     The system may include a memory for storing outputs from the balancing unit. The system may include a balance reversing unit receiving the inversion indicator, the flag, multiple bit data other than the least significant bits and the least significant bits, the balance reversing unit restoring the least significant bits in accordance with a value of the inversion indicator, a value of the flag and values of the at least two least significant bits value of the multi-bit data, otherwise outputting the least significant bits unchanged.  
         [0025]     The system may include a balance reversing unit including a pattern detector receiving the inversion indicator, the at least two least significant bits and the flag, and outputting a trigger signal when a pattern of the flag, the inversion indicator and the at least two least significant bits indicates the least significant bits have been changed, and a multiplexer receiving the least significant bits and the trigger signal, the multiplexer of the balance reversing unit restoring the least significant bits in response to the trigger signal, otherwise outputting the least significant bits unchanged, balance reversing unit further outputting the inversion indicator and multi-bit data other than the least significant bits. The system may include a decoding unit receiving the inversion indicator and the multi-bit data, and restoring the multi-bit data.  
         [0026]     At least one of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention may be realized by providing a machine-readable medium that provides executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the method discussed above 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0027]     The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:  
         [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates a flowchart of an encoding process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates a coding table in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates a flowchart of an encoding process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0031]      FIG. 4  illustrates a block diagram of a single-ended parallel data interface system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0032]      FIG. 5A  illustrates a block diagram of the encoding unit in  FIG. 4  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0033]      FIG. 5B  illustrates a schematic diagram of the encoding unit in  FIG. 5A  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0034]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a block diagram of the decoding unit in  FIG. 4  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0035]      FIG. 6B  illustrates a schematic diagram of the decoding unit in  FIG. 6A  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0036]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate eye diagrams using no coding and using the coding in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0037]      FIG. 8  illustrates a coding table in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0038]      FIG. 9  illustrates a flowchart of a conventional encoding method. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0039]     This application claims priority under 35 USC §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0030751, filed on Apr. 4, 2006 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.  
         [0040]     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.  
         [0041]     A coding method in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may use two or more flags, i.e., one or more flags in addition to an inversion indicator, to further reduce current consumption and/or noise.  
         [0042]      FIG. 1  illustrates a flowchart of an encoding method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. First, a number of data “0” in the multi-bit data may be counted in step S 110 . Then, this number may be compared to a predetermined value Z in step S 120 . The predetermined value Z may be equal to or greater than half a number of bits in the multi-bit data. If the predetermined value Z is exceeded, the multi-bit data may be inverted and a first flag Flag 1  may be set to a first value, e.g., one, in step S 130 . If the predetermined value Z is not exceeded, the multi-bit data may be maintained and the first flag Flag 1  may be set to a second value, e.g., zero, in step S 140 . Again, the first flag Flag 1  serves as the inversion indicator.  
         [0043]     Then, in step S 150 , a sum of the number of “0” data counted in step S 110  and the value of the first flag Flag 1  may be compared to a predetermined value M. The predetermined value M may be equal to the predetermined value Z.  
         [0044]     If the sum is less than M, then a second flag Flag 2  may be set to a first value, e.g., zero, in step S 170 . Then, in step S 180 , a sum of the number of “0” data counted in step S 110 , the value of the first flag Flag 1  and the value of the second flag Flag 2  may be compared to the predetermined value M. If the sum is greater than or equal to M, then the multi-bit data may be maintained, and the method may proceed to step  191 , which may transmit the data. If the sum is less than M, then at least two bits of the multi-bit data may be changed to zero. For example, up to half a number of bits in the multi-bit data may be changed to zero. Then, the method may proceed to step  191 , which may transmit the data.  
         [0045]     If the sum is greater than or equal to M, then the multi-bit data may be maintained and the second flag Flag 2  may be set to a second value, e.g., one, in step S 160 . The method may then proceed to step  191 , which may transmit the data.  
         [0046]      FIG. 2  illustrates a coding table for eight-bit data in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen therein, the multi-bit data, here 8-bit data, may first be subjected to the DBI method such that the number of zeros in the encoded data may range between zero and at least half of the number of multi-bits, e.g., four. Then, the DBI coded data may be subjected to steps S 150  to S 190  of  FIG. 1  to reduce a difference in range of number of zeros among the multi-bit data, thereby reducing noise. In particular, a number of zeros in CASE 1  to CASE 5  exceed the predetermined number Z, so the multi-bit data may be inverted, and the first flag Flag 1  may be set to a first value, e.g., one. In contrast, a number of zeros in CASE 6  to CASE 9  do not exceed the predetermined number Z, so the multi-bit data may be maintained, and the first flag Flag 1  may be set to a second value, e.g., zero.  
         [0047]     As can be seen, for example, in  FIG. 2 , during balance encoding, for those cases having less than a middle number with the range of number of zeros after the DBI encoding, e.g., two, here CASE 1 , CASE 2  and CASE 9 , the second flag Flag 2  may be set to a first value, e.g., zero. For all other cases, the second flag Flag 2  may be set to be a second value, e.g., one. Note that the first and second values for the first flag Flag 1  and the second flag Flag 2  may not be the same.  
         [0048]     If a total number of zeros for a case still is less than the middle number, e.g., CASE 1 , a number of least significant bits, e.g., the final two bits, of the data may be set to zero, as indicated by 2B data  230 . Therefore, the number of zeros now may range between two and four. Thus, the code may be balanced, i.e., a delta between different cases may be reduced, reducing noise. In this particular example, the delta may be reduced from 4IDQ to 2IDQ.  
         [0049]      FIG. 3  illustrates a flowchart for decoding multi-bit data in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In step S 310 , the encoded multi-bit data, the first flag Flag 1  and the second flag Flag 2  may be received. In step S 320 , pattern correspondence may be determined, i.e., the value of the second flag Flag 2  and the number of zeros may be checked. If the second flag Flag 2  is zero and the number of zeros is greater than M, the zeros in the coded multi-bit data may be restored to ones before proceeding to step S 340 . Otherwise, the process may proceed to step S 340 . A value of the first flag Flag 1  may be determined. If the first flag Flag 1  is one, the multi-bit data may be inverted in step S 340 . Otherwise, the multi-bit data may be maintained in step S 360 .  
         [0050]      FIG. 4  illustrates a block diagram of a single-ended parallel data interface system  700 . The system  700  may include a transmitter  710  and a receiver  720 .  
         [0051]     The transmitter  710  may include a data storing unit  711 , an encoding unit  800  and a driver unit  714 . The encoding unit  800  may include a DBI encoding unit  810  and a balancing unit  820 . Details of the encoding unit  800  will be described in detail below with reference to  FIGS. 5A and 5B .  
         [0052]     The receiver  720  may include a decoding unit  900  and a data storing unit  723 . The decoding unit  900  may include a balance reversing unit  910  and a DBI decoding unit  920 . Details of the decoding unit  900  will be described in detail below with reference to  FIGS. 6A and 6B .  
         [0053]      FIG. 5A  illustrates a block diagram of the encoding unit  800 , and  FIG. 5B  illustrates a schematic diagram of the encoding unit  800 , including the DBI encoding unit  810  and the balancing unit  820 . The balancing unit  820  may include a multiplexer (MUX)  821  and a logic level detector  822 . For example, for each eight bits of data 8B, the first 6B of the 8B data may be output to the logic level detector  822 , and may otherwise pass through the balancing unit  820  without any further processing as DQ 1  to DQ 6 . The final 2B of the 8B data may also be output to the logic level detector  822  and to the MUX  821 . The first flag Flag 1  may also be output to the logic level detector  822 , and may otherwise pass through the balancing unit  820  without any further processing. The MUX  821  also may receive the 2B data  830  externally and a trigger T from the logic level detector  822 . The trigger T may be determined in accordance with the number of zeros in the 8B data and the first flag Flag 1 . The MUX  821  may then output DQ 7  and DQ 8 , and the logic level detector  822  may output the second flag Flag 2 .  
         [0054]     As may be seen in  FIG. 5B , the logic level detector  822  may include a plurality of AND gates and two OR gates, and the MUX  821  may include a pair of multiplexers. In particular, each bit of the multi-bit data and the first flag Flag 1  may be subjected to an AND operation, the result of which may be output as the trigger T to the MUX  821 . When the trigger T is one, the input data IN 7 , IN 8  may be maintained and output as the output data DQ 7 , DQ 8 . When the trigger T is zero, the output data DQ 7 , DQ 8  may be output as zero.  
         [0055]     The trigger T may also be output to a final one of the OR gates. Remaining AND gates may output a result of subjecting the multi-bit data having sequential inputs individually inverted to an AND operation to an initial one of the OR gates. The initial OR gate may output a result thereof to the final OR gate, which, in turn, may output the second flag Flag 2 .  
         [0056]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a block diagram of the decoding unit  900 , and  FIG. 6B  illustrates a schematic diagram of the decoding unit  900 , including the balance reversing unit  910  and the DBI decoding unit  920 . The balance reversing unit  910  may include a MUX  911  and a pattern detector  912 .  
         [0057]     The first 6B of the 8B data may pass through the balance reversing unit  910  without any further processing to the DBI decoding unit  920 . The final 2B of the 8B data may be output to the pattern detector  912  and to the MUX  911 . The first flag Flag 1  may also be output to the pattern detector  912 , and may otherwise pass through the balance reversing unit  910  without any further processing. The MUX  911  also may receive 2B data “11” externally and a trigger Q from the pattern detector  912 . The trigger Q may be determined in accordance with the final 2B data of the 8B data, the first flag Flag 1  and the second flag Flag 2 . The MUX  911  may then output the final 2B data accordingly to the DBI decoding unit  920 .  
         [0058]     As may be seen in  FIG. 6A , the pattern detector  912  may include an AND gate receiving the first flag Flag 1 , inverted inputs of DQ 7 , DQ 8 , and the second flag Flag 2 , the result of which may be output as the trigger Q to the MUX  911 . When the trigger Q is one, the output data DQ 7 . DQ 8  may be restored to ones. When the trigger Q is zero, the output data DQ 7 , DQ 8  may be maintained.  
         [0059]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate eye diagrams for a signal having no coding and a signal coded in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, respectively. As can be seen therein, coding in accordance with the present invention may significantly reduce jitter, e.g., by more than half.  
         [0060]      FIG. 8  illustrates a coding table for eight-bit data in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen therein, the multi-bit data, here 8-bit data, may first be subjected to the DBI method such that the number of zeros in the encoded data ranges between zero and at least half of the number of multi-bits. Then, the DBI coded data may be subjected to steps S 150  to S 180  of  FIG. 1  to reduce a difference in range of number of zeros among the multi-bit data, thereby reducing noise. However, rather than forcing the least significant bits, here the final three bits, of the multi-bit data to be zero when there are insufficient zeros present, the least significant bits may be inverted.  
         [0061]     As can be seen, for example, in  FIG. 8 , for those cases having less than or equal to a middle number within the range of number of zeros, e.g., two, here CASE 1 , CASE 2 , CASE 3 , CASE 8  and CASE 9 , the second flag Flag 2  may be set to be zero. For all other cases, the second flag Flag 2  may be set to be one. If the number of zeros is still less than or equal to the middle number, e.g., CASE 1 , CASE 2  and CASE 9 , the final three bits of the data may inverted. Therefore, the number of zeros now may range between three and five. Thus, a delta between different cases is reduced, reducing noise. In this particular example, the delta is reduced from 4IDQ to 2IDQ.  
         [0062]     While the least significant bits are illustrated as being set to “0” in the encoding in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, any of the bits of the data of the desired number may be set to “zero” in accordance with the present invention. In other words, the encoding of the present invention is concerned with a total number of zeros for each case, and each case may represent more than one data value.  
         [0063]     While embodiments of the present invention have been described in connection with a multi-bit data that is an eight-bit word for ease of description, the balance coding in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may be extended to other multi-bit data, e.g., 16-bit data, 64-bit data, etc. Further, while only one balance coding has been illustrated for ease of description, repeated balance codings may be employed.  
         [0064]     For example, when n balance codings are used, an initial delta Δ i  between a maximum number of zeros and a minimum number of zeros in the initial multi-bit data may be reduced by up to 2 (n+1) , where n=0 indicates that only data bus inversion has occurred, i.e., no balance codings have been performed. In other words, after n balance codings, a resultant delta Δ n  may be satisfy the following relationship (1).  
               Δ   i     &gt;     Δ   n     ≥       Δ   i       2     (     n   +   1     )                 (   1   )             
 
         [0065]     Additionally, a number of bits x within multi-bit data having m-bits that may be used as the least significant bits to be set to zero or inverted, may satisfy the following relationship (2).  
               m     2   n       &gt;   x   ≥     m     2     (     n   +   1     )                 (   2   )             
 
         [0066]     Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed herein, and although specific terms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. For example, the balancing of multi-bit data of the present invention may be implemented in software, e.g., by an article of manufacture having a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to balance the multi-bit data in accordance with methods of the present invention. Further, while 8-bit data has been given as an example of multi-bit data, embodiments of the present invention may be adapted to other sizes of multi-bit data. It is noted that each additional flag may reduce a delta between coded data by up to a factor of two. Accordingly, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.