Digital transmission circuit and method providing selectable power consumption via multiple weighted driver slices
First Claim
1. A transmission circuit for transmitting a digital signal to one or more interface conductors, comprising:
- a plurality of parallel driver slices each comprising a plurality of cascaded driver stages, wherein said slices have common output nodes at each stage, whereby drive currents of said stages are generated as the sum of unequal individual drive currents of each slice at each particular stage; and
a control logic for selectively enabling said parallel driver slices, whereby a subset of said plurality of parallel drive slices can be enabled to select a power consumption and performance level.
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Abstract
A digital transmission circuit and method providing selectable power consumption via multiple weighted driver slices improves the flexibility of an interface while reducing transmitter power consumption, area and complexity when possible. A cascaded series of driver stages is provided by a set of parallel slices and a control logic that activates one or more of the slices, which combine to produce a cascaded active driver circuit. The power consumption/drive level selectability of the slice combination provides a driver that can be fine-tuned to particular applications to provide the required performance at a minimum power consumption level.
49 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A transmission circuit for transmitting a digital signal to one or more interface conductors, comprising:
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a plurality of parallel driver slices each comprising a plurality of cascaded driver stages, wherein said slices have common output nodes at each stage, whereby drive currents of said stages are generated as the sum of unequal individual drive currents of each slice at each particular stage; and
a control logic for selectively enabling said parallel driver slices, whereby a subset of said plurality of parallel drive slices can be enabled to select a power consumption and performance level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An interface including:
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a transmission circuit for transmitting a digital signal to one or more interface conductors, comprising an output driver having a plurality of parallel driver slices each comprising a plurality of cascaded driver stages, wherein said slices have common output nodes at each stage, whereby a drive current at each stage is generated as the sum of unequal individual drive currents of each slice at each stage and a control logic for selectively enabling said parallel driver slices in response to one or more control signals, whereby a subset of said plurality of parallel drive slices can be enabled to select a power consumption and performance level; and
an interface quality measurement circuit for providing said one or more control signals in response to a determination of quality of signals on said interface conductors. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of controlling power consumption in an digital interface transmitter, comprising:
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receiving an indication of that power consumption of said interface transmitter may be reduced; and
disabling one or more differently-weighted parallel driver slices in response to said indication to reduce said power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification