Adaptive training and adjustment to changing capacitor values based upon age and usage behavior

• US 10,134,451 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AgigA Tech Incorporated (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: AgigA Tech Incorporated (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Sartore, Ronald H., Liu, Yingnan, Hauck, Lane
• Primary Examiner(s): Hollington, Jermele M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nasir, Taqi
• Application Number:
  US15/786,526
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 324548, 324382, 324519, 32475017, 32475428, 324658, 324 7666
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/10 Programming or data input circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/225 Preventing erasure, programming or reading when power supply voltages are outside the required ranges
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/30 Power supply circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/143 Detection of memory cassette insertion or removal; Continuity checks of supply or ground lines; Detection of supply variations, interruptions or levels G11C5/148 takes precedence; Switching between alternative supplies G11C5/141 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus includes logic to determine a discharge drop of a capacitor and to adjust an enablement charge level of the capacitor according to the discharge drop.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a controller;

at least one capacitor; and

at least one of non-transitory machine memory and circuits comprising logic that when executed by the controller;

measures a first voltage of the at least one capacitor;

begins an operation to at least partially discharge the at least one capacitor;

concludes the operation to at least partially discharge the at least one capacitor;

measures a second voltage of the at least one capacitor at the conclusion of the operation to at least partially discharge the at least one capacitor;

determines a time interval for the operation to at least partially discharge the at least one capacitor;

sets an enablement voltage level for the at least one capacitor based on a rate determined from the first voltage, the second voltage, and the time interval; and

wherein the enablement voltage level is a voltage level the at least one capacitor must charge to before the apparatus enables the at least one capacitor to be used as a power source for a memory backup operation.

2. A hybrid memory module, comprising:

a controller;

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory;

at least one capacitor; and

at least one of non-transitory machine memory and circuits comprising logic that when executed by the controller;

measures a first voltage of the at least one capacitor;

begins an operation to at least partially discharge the at least one capacitor;

concludes the operation to at least partially discharge the at least one capacitor;

measures a second voltage of the at least one capacitor at the conclusion of the operation to at least partially discharge the at least one capacitor;

determines a time interval for the operation to at least partially discharge the at least one capacitor;

sets an enablement voltage level for the at least one capacitor based on a rate determined from the first voltage, the second voltage, and the time interval; and

wherein the enablement voltage level is a voltage level the at least one capacitor must charge to before the apparatus enables the at least one capacitor to be used as a power source for a memory backup operation.