MEMORY WITH CALL OUT FUNCTION

摘要

A memory system comprising an array of memory cells with a Bit Mask circuit provided in each memory cell. The memory system also comprises a bus circuit with a set of Address Bus lines, a set of Data Bus lines, a set of Origin Bus lines and a set of Control lines, each memory cell being connected to each of the said sets of lines. The Control lines selectively enable the operation of the system in one of three operating modes. The control lines further comprise means to select one of a predefined set of relationships used for the search operation. In a first operating mode the system stores data applied on the said Data Bus in memory cells having the positions defined by data applied on the said Address Bus; In a second operating mode a memory cell having a position defined by the Address Bus sets on the Data bus the data stored in that cell; In a third operating mode, the searched data is applied on the Address Bus and it is search by a process wherein each memory cell with matching data applies on the Data Bus a value representing the Address of the said memory cell, the said memory cell verifies a previously selected relationship with address bytes applied on the Address Bus by the other memory cells having data that match the search data whereupon the bits of the said cell are masked by the said Bit Mask circuit such that the cell address is presented on the Data Bus only where the position of that particular memory cell is the closest, in a predefined direction, to the data set on the Origin Bus among all the cells with matching data.