Power management system

• US 7,608,942 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: North Star Innovations Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Voorwinden, Cornelis H., Chun, Christopher K. Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paladini, Albert W
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAPLAN, HAL IRA
• Application Number:
  US10/542,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20060139827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,475 Days
• Field of Search: 307/24, 307/29, 307/39, 307/42
• US Class Current: 307/39
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/56 using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices G05F1/461 takes precedence

Abstract

An integrated circuit (103) having a plurality of integrated circuit portions (111, 113, and 115) where each of the plurality of integrated circuit portions receives a corresponding voltage of a plurality of voltages. Selection circuitry (127 and 123) selects a selected voltage of the plurality of voltages and provides an indication of the selected voltage to adjust the supply voltage to the integrated circuit. in one embodiment, the indication may correspond to an analog signal proportional to the selected voltage such as e.g. at the selected voltage or at a voltage less than or greater than the selected voltage. A power supply system (105), coupled to the integrated circuit, may be used to receive the indication of the selected voltage and adjust the supply voltage based on the indication.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

an input to receive power at an input voltage;

a plurality of integrated circuit portions each receiving a corresponding voltage of a plurality of voltages; and

selection circuitry that selects a selected one of the plurality of voltages and provides an indication of the selected one of the plurality of voltages to adjust the input voltage.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the selection circuitry selects the selected one of the plurality of voltages based on sensing at least a portion of the plurality of voltages, wherein the selected one of the plurality of voltages corresponds to a maximum voltage sensed from the portion of the plurality of voltages.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

storage circuitry that stores a plurality of voltage level indicators which set each of the plurality of voltages, and wherein the selection circuitry selects the selected one of the plurality of voltages based on the plurality of voltage level indicators.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the selection circuitry determines which one of the plurality of voltage level indicators indicates a maximum voltage of the plurality of voltages, and wherein the selected one of the plurality of voltages corresponds to the one of the plurality of voltage level indicators that indicates the maximum voltage.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 1 ,further comprising:

a plurality of voltage regulators, each having an input to receive the input voltage and an output to provide a corresponding one of the plurality of voltages.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of voltage regulators has a voltage drop, and the input voltage is adjusted based on the voltage drop and the selected one of the plurality of voltages.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the plurality of voltages corresponds to a maximum voltage of the plurality of voltages.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of switching devices, each having a first current electrode coupled to receive the input voltage and a second current electrode coupled to provide a corresponding one of the plurality of voltages.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the indication of the selected one of the plurality of voltages is provided to a power supply system, external to the integrated circuit, the power supply system adjusting the input voltage based on the indication of the selected one of the plurality of voltages.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the indication is an analog signal having a voltage proportional to the selected one of the plurality of voltages.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

multiplexer circuitry having a plurality of inputs for receiving the plurality of voltages and an output for providing the selected one of the plurality of voltages.

28. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of voltage regulators, each having a regulator input to receive power supplied to the integrated circuit from the input and an output to provide a corresponding one of the plurality of voltages.

12. An electronic system, comprising:

an integrated circuit having an input to receive power at an input voltage, a plurality of integrated circuit portions each receiving a corresponding voltage of a plurality of voltages, and selection circuitry that selects a selected one of the plurality of voltages and provides an indication of the selected one of the plurality of voltages; and

a power supply system coupled to the integrated circuit, wherein the power supply system adjusts the input voltage based on the indication of the selected one of the plurality of voltages provided by the selection circuitry.

13. The electronic system of claim 12, wherein the selection circuitry selects the selected one of the plurality of voltages based on sensing at least a portion of the plurality of voltages, wherein the selected one of the plurality of voltages corresponds to a maximum voltage sensed from the portion of the plurality of voltages.

14. The electronic system of claim 12, further comprising:

storage circuitry that stores a plurality of voltage level indicators which set each of the plurality of voltages, wherein the selection circuitry selects the selected one of the plurality of voltages based on the plurality of voltage level indicators.

15. The electronic system of claim 14, wherein the selection circuitry determines which one of the plurality of voltage level indicators indicates a maximum voltage of the plurality of voltages, and wherein the selected one of the plurality of voltages corresponds to the one of the plurality of voltage level indicators that indicates the maximum voltage.

16. The electronic system of claim 12, wherein the power supply system further comprises:

comparison circuitry that compares the indication of the selected one of the plurality of voltages to a reference voltage based on the input voltage and outputs a control signal; and

a converter having an output to provide the input voltage, wherein the converter adjusts the input voltage based on the control signal.

17. A hand held electronic device comprising the electronic system of claim 12.

18. The electronic system of claim 12, wherein the indication of the selected one of the plurality of voltages is an analog signal at a voltage proportional to the selected one of the plurality of voltages.

19. The electronic system of claim 18 wherein the indication of the selected one of the plurality of voltages is the selected one of the plurality of voltages.

20. The electronic system of claim 19 wherein the voltage of the analog signal is at the selected one of the plurality of voltages.

29. The electronic system of claim 12 wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

a plurality of voltage regulators, each having a regulator input to receive power supplied to the integrated circuit from the input and an output to provide a corresponding one of the plurality of voltages.

21. A method for managing power in an electronic system, comprising:

powering an integrated circuit at an input voltage;

providing a corresponding voltage of a plurality of voltages to each integrated circuit portion of a plurality of integrated circuit portions of the integrated circuit;

selecting a selected one of the plurality of voltages; and

using the selected one of the plurality of voltages to adjust the input voltage.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the selected one of the plurality of voltages corresponds to a maximum voltage of the plurality of voltages.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the selected one of the plurality of voltages corresponds to a voltage level indicator that indicates a maximum voltage of the plurality of voltages.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the voltage level indicator is one of a plurality of voltage level indicators, and wherein each voltage level indicator sets a voltage of the plurality of voltages.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

comparing the selected one of the plurality of voltages to a reference voltage based on the input voltage; and

adjusting the input voltage in response to comparing.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein providing the corresponding voltage comprises powering each integrated circuit portion at the corresponding voltage.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein:

the powering the integrated circuit at an input voltage includes providing power to a plurality of voltage regulators of the integrated circuit;

the providing a corresponding voltage of the plurality of voltages includes each of the plurality of voltage regulators providing a corresponding voltage of the plurality of voltages.