Method and an apparatus to detect low voltage
First Claim
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a main circuit powered at a supply voltage, wherein the supply voltage changes over time; and
a test circuit coupled to the main circuit, the test circuit being representative of a voltage sensitivity of the main circuit without sharing any common component with the main circuit, the test circuit to dynamically determine if the supply voltage is above a minimum voltage at which the main circuit operates, wherein the minimum voltage changes over at least one of a temperature and a time and between different instances of the main circuit.
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus to detect low voltage have been disclosed. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a main circuit powered at a supply voltage, wherein the supply voltage changes over time and a test circuit coupled to the main circuit, the test circuit being representative of a voltage sensitivity of the main circuit to dynamically determine if the supply voltage is above a minimum voltage at which the main circuit operates correctly, wherein the minimum voltage changes over at least one of a temperature and a time and between different instances of the main circuit.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a main circuit powered at a supply voltage, wherein the supply voltage changes over time; and a test circuit coupled to the main circuit, the test circuit being representative of a voltage sensitivity of the main circuit without sharing any common component with the main circuit, the test circuit to dynamically determine if the supply voltage is above a minimum voltage at which the main circuit operates, wherein the minimum voltage changes over at least one of a temperature and a time and between different instances of the main circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus comprising:
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a main circuit powered at a supply voltage, wherein the supply voltage changes over time; and a test circuit coupled to the main circuit, the test circuit being representative of a voltage sensitivity of the main circuit to dynamically determine if the supply voltage is above a minimum voltage at which the main circuit operates correctly, wherein the minimum voltage changes over at least one of a temperature and a time and between different instances of the main circuit, and the test circuit comprises a first sub-circuit powered at the supply voltage; a second sub-circuit powered at a second voltage lower than the supply voltage, the second sub-circuit being substantially identical to the first sub-circuit; and a circuit coupled to the first and the second sub-circuits to compare an output of the first sub-circuit with an output of the second sub-circuit, wherein each of the first and the second sub-circuits comprises a linear feedback shift register (LFSR) to generate a pseudo-random number sequence.
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14. A method, comprising:
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powering a main circuit of a device at a supply voltage, wherein the supply voltage changes over time; and dynamically determining if the supply voltage is above a minimum voltage at which the main circuit operates using a test circuit, the test circuit being representative of a voltage sensitivity of the main circuit without sharing any common component with the main circuit, wherein the minimum voltage changes over at least one of a temperature and a time and between different instances of the main circuit. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An apparatus, comprising:
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means for extending a life of at least one battery used to power a main circuit; means for powering the main circuit directly with the at least one battery until a level of a supply voltage of the at least one battery substantially reaches a minimum voltage at which the main circuit operates; and means for dynamically determining the minimum voltage using a test circuit, the test circuit being representative of a voltage sensitivity of the main circuit without sharing any common component with the main circuit. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification