Patent ID: 7343457

Claim:
A memory controller for managing memory requests from a plurality of requesters to a plurality of memory banks, the memory controller comprising: an arbiter having a plurality of request ports, each request port configured to receive the memory requests from a respective one of the plurality of requesters, the arbiter assigning a first memory request to a first processing path and a second memory request to a second processing path responsive to the memory banks requested by the received and assigned memory requests; a first path controller coupled to the arbiter and the plurality of memory banks, the first path controller configured to process the first memory request in the first processing path to activate a first memory bank associated with the first memory request for a first data transfer; a second path controller coupled to the arbiter and the plurality of memory banks, the second path controller configured to process the second memory request in the second processing path to activate, during the first data transfer, a second memory bank associated with the second memory request for a second data transfer; and a synchronizer coupled between the first path controller and the second path controller for synchronizing the first and second path controllers such that the first and second memory requests processed by the first and second path controllers, respectively, and the first and second data transfers do not conflict, wherein the arbiter assigns the first and second memory requests using a fairness algorithm, the fairness algorithm comparing the plurality of requesters to a grant history register, identifying from the plurality of requesters those requesters that have had previous memory requests granted during a current arbitration cycle, and identifying the first memory request by a first memory requester from the plurality of memory requesters not on the grant history register and not having a current request by the second path controller using fixed priority logic.