1. An apparatus for attaching a cable to a structure, comprising:
an elongated rod having a varying cross-section in a longitudinal direction;
first and second elongate sleeves, each having an expandable engagement member, mounted on said elongated rod in a first position to facilitate insertion of said expandable engagement member of said first sleeve in a hole defined by the structure and said expandable engagement member of said second sleeve in said first sleeve, said first and second sleeves capable of being axially translated along said elongated rod to a second position to facilitate a positive engagement of said expandable engagement member of said first sleeve within the hole wherein the elongated rod causes radial expansion of said expandable engagement member of said second sleeve within said first sleeve to facilitate a positive engagement of the expanded engagement member of the second sleeve with said first sleeve; and
at least one attachment element carried by at least one of said first and second sleeves, wherein said attachment element is adapted to be attached to the cable.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said elongated rod comprises:
a first portion of a first cross-sectional shape; and
a second portion of a second cross-sectional shape larger than the first cross-sectional shape and disposed proximate to and displaced in the longitudinal direction from said first portion.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first portion is a first cylindrical portion and said second portion is a second cylindrical portion.
4. An apparatus of claim 2 wherein said elongated rod comprises a plurality of pairs of first and second portions.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said elongated rod further comprises a circumferential groove between the pairs of first and second portions.
6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of said elongate sleeves mounted on said elongated rod, each sleeve associated with a respective pair of first and second portions such that said sleeve loosely surrounds the first portion and the second portion while in the first position and engages the second portion while in the second position, thereby radially expanding said sleeve.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each expandable engagement member is capable of radially expanding as said sleeve is moved from the first position to the second position; and wherein at least one of said first and second elongate sleeves further comprises:
an annular member connected to said expandable engagement member for carrying said attachment element.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one tie member capable of attaching the cable to said attachment element.
9. An apparatus for attaching cables to a structure, comprising:
an elongated rod having a lengthwise cross-section of varying shape;
first and second elongate sleeves mounted on said elongated rod in a first position and capable of being axially translated along said elongated rod to a second position, said first sleeve comprising an expandable engagement member configured to expandedly engage within a hole defined by the structure in the second position and said second sleeve comprising an expandable engagement member configured to configured to radially expand within said first sleeve in the second position to facilitate a positive engagement of the expandable engagement member of said second sleeve with said first sleeve; and
a tie member capable of attaching the cable to at least one of said first and second sleeves.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said elongated rod comprises:
a first portion of a first cross-sectional shape; and
a second portion of a second cross-sectional shape larger than the first cross-sectional shape and disposed proximate to and displaced in the longitudinal direction from said first portion.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said first portion is a first cylindrical portion and said second portion is a second cylindrical portion.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said elongated rod comprises a plurality of pairs of first and second portions.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said elongated rod further comprises a circumferential groove between the pairs of first and second portions.
14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each sleeve is associated with a respective pair of first and second portions such that said sleeve loosely surrounds the first portion and second portion while in the first position and engages the second portion while in the second position, thereby radially expanding said sleeve.
15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of said first and second elongate sleeves comprises:
an annular member connected to said expandable engagement member for carrying said tie member.
16. A method for attaching a cable to a structure, comprising:
providing an elongated rod having a varying cross-section in a longitudinal direction and first and second elongate sleeves capable of being axially translated along the elongated rod, the first sleeve having an expandable engagement member;
inserting said expandable engagement member of the first sleeve into a hole defined by the structure;
translating the first and second sleeves axially along the elongated rod to facilitate positive engagement of the expandable engagement member of the first sleeve within the hole wherein the elongated rod causes radial expansion of an expandable engagement member of the second sleeve within the first sleeve to facilitate a positive engagement of the second sleeve with the first sleeve; and
attaching at least one cable to at least one of the first and second sleeves.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising mounting the first and second sleeves upon the elongated rod in a first position prior to inserting said expandable engagement member of the first sleeve into the hole defined by the structure.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein translating the first and second sleeves axially along the elongated rod comprises expanding said expandable engagement member of the first sleeve within the hole.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein attaching at least one cable to at least one of the first and second sleeves comprises encircling at least one cable and an attachment element carried by the sleeve with a tie member.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method comprising: determining a memory read reference level based on program threshold voltage levels of a group of history cells associated with a group of memory cells belonging to a non-volatile memory cell array, reading said memory cells of said array using said memory read reference level, wherein said determinining comprises reading said group of history cells with respect to at least one of a set of possible multiple history read reference levels; and selecting a memory read reference level according to said reading history cells.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said history read reference level is equal to said memory read reference level.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said history read reference level is not equal to said memory read reference level.
4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said non-equality depends on a predetermined margin to be maintained between readout of said group of history cells and the readout of its associated said memory array cells.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said the number of history read reference levels is different than the number of memory read reference levels.
6. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising having read reference cells and activating word lines of said history cells at a different level than word lines of said read reference cells.
7. The method according to claim 1 and comprising having said group of history cells pass substantially the same events at substantially the same conditions as said associated memory cells.
8. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the quantity of cells in said group of history cells approaches the quantity of said associated memory cells.
9. The method according to claim 7 and wherein said events comprise programming and erasing and wherein said conditions comprise timing of said programming and said erasing.
10. The method according to claim 9 and wherein said erasing is performed on subgroups of said memory array cells.
11. The method according to claim 9 and wherein said timing is adjusted so that a time lapse between said events experienced by said history cells matches a second time lapse between said events experienced by said associated memory cells.
12. The method according to claim 1 and wherein said history cells and said memory cells are NROM (nitride read only memory) cells.
13. The method according to claim 1 and wherein said history cells and said memory cells are NROM cells operated in one of the following modes: a one bit per cell mode, a dual bit per cell mode, and a multilevel mode.
14. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising programming at least one said history cell and at least one of its said associated memory cells within a short time span of each other.
15. A method according to claim 1 and also comprising changing a programming verify level for programming said array after said memory read reference level has changed.
16. The method according to claim 15 and wherein said programming verify level is returned to its initial level after an erase operation is performed on said array.
17. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising establishing said history read reference levels within the range of a distribution of said program threshold voltage levels interior to a statistically noisy edge of said distribution where the lowest program threshold level occurs.
18. The method according to claim 17 and wherein said history read reference level is the Xth lowest program threshold voltage level in said distribution.
19. The method according to claim 18 and wherein X is 8.
20. The method according to claim 1 and comprising changing a programming verify level for programming said array after said memory read reference level has changed.
21. An array of non-volatile memory cells comprising: a first multiplicity of array cells, divided into groups; a second multiplicity of history cells, divided into groups, each group being associated with and matched to one group of said array cells; a first plurality of history read reference cells for reading said groups of history cells each said history read reference cell defining a different history read reference level; and a second plurality of memory read reference cells for reading said groups of memory cells, each said memory read reference cell defining a different read reference level.
22. The array according to claim 21 and wherein each said group of history cells is one history cell in a row of said memory cells with which it associated.
23. The array according to claim 21 and wherein each said group of history cells is one row of cells above a plurality of rows of said memory cells with which it associated.
24. The array according to claim 21 and wherein each said group of history cells is located near said memory cells with which it associated.
25. The array according to claim 21 and wherein said second plurality of memory read reference cells is one larger than said first plurality of history read reference cells.
26. The array according to claim 21 and wherein said history cells and said memory cells are NROM (nitride read only memory) cells.
27. The array according to claim 21 and wherein said history cells and said memory cells are NROM cells operated in one of the following modes: a one bit per cell mode, a dual bit per cell mode, and a multilevel mode.
28. The array according to claim 21 and wherein each said group of history cells passes substantially the same events at substantially the same conditions as its associated group of memory cells.
29. The array according to claim 21 and wherein the quantity of cells in each said group of history cells approaches the quantity of its said associated memory cells.
30. The array according to claim 21 and wherein each said group of array cells is partitioned into subgroups during erase operations.