STMicroelectronics

About: STMicroelectronics is a company organization based out in Geneva, Switzerland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Signal & Transistor. The organization has 17172 authors who have published 29543 publications receiving 300766 citations. The organization is also known as: SGS-Thomson & STM.

Optimizing write/erase operations in memory devices

Abstract: A method controls write/erase operations in a memory device including memory blocks that are exposed to wear as a result of repeated erasures The method includes: storing the erase counts of the memory blocks, creating a chain storing the erase counts of the memory blocks that are available for writing at a certain instant of time, and selecting for writing, out of the blocks in the memory device available for writing, the block having the lowest erase count in the chain

Automatic Generation of Schedulings for Improving the Test Coverage of Systems-on-a-Chip

Abstract: SystemC is becoming a de-facto standard for the early simulation of Systems-on-a-chip (SoCs). It is a parallel language with a scheduler. Testing a SoC written in SystemC implies that we execute it, for some well chosen data. We are bound to use a particular deterministic implementation of the scheduler, whose specification is non-deterministic. Consequently, we may fail to discover bugs that would have appeared using another valid implementation of the scheduler. Current methods for testings SoCs concentrate on the generation of the inputs, and do not address this problem at all. We assume that the selection of relevant data is already done, and we generate several schedulings allowed by the scheduler specification. We use dynamic partial-order reduction techniques to avoid the generation of two schedulings that have the same effect on the system?s behavior. Exploring alternative schedulings during testing is a way of guaranteeing that the SoC description, and in particular the embedded software, is scheduler-independent, hence more robust. The technique extends to the exploration of other non-fully specified aspects of SoC descriptions, like timing.

Method and device for local clock generation using universal serial bus downstream received signals DP and DM

Abstract: A method and device is disclosed for generating a local clock signal CLK1X (172) from Universal Synchronous Bus downstream-received differential signals DM and DP carrying the downstream received bit-serial signal. The method and device does not require the use of a crystal or resonator. Counters (312, 310, 305, 301) are used to determine a number of periods of a free-running high frequency clock signal ((164) contained within in a known number of bit periods of the downstream received bit-serial signal (146). The counter values are divided by the known number of bit periods of the received bit-signal (146) to determine a bit period of the received bit-serial signal (146). The local clock signal (172) may be phase-locked with the received bit serial signal (146). The local clock period is updated on an ongoing manner by downstream known received traffic.

Method and network device for creating circular queue structures in shared memory

Abstract: A method and device of creating one or more buffer structures in a shared memory that exists between a host and a network device is disclosed. The method includes the step of storing within a block of shared memory an administration block having a base address and a descriptor ring parameter, which includes information relating to a descriptor ring and frame data buffer sizes. The base address of the administration block is written into the network device. An initialization command is then issued from the host to the network device. The network device reads the administration block and shared memory and one or more descriptors are constructed within the network device. Each descriptor points to a frame data buffer within shared memory. The descriptors are then stored.