Method and apparatus for waking up a circuit

• US 7,770,044 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Fullterton, Mark N., Bibikar, Vasudev J., Feddeler, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SURYAWANSHI, SURESH
• Application Number:
  US11/945,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20080072087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 713/323, 713/320, 713/324, 713/330
• US Class Current: 713/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision

Abstract

An indication that a power supply is ramped up to a threshold level is received. A circuit is woken up in response to receiving the indication if a control field of configuration information is in a first state, and the circuit is not woken up in response to receiving the indication if the control field of configuration information is in a second state.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

requesting that a power supply be enabled;

starting a timer;

waking up a circuit if the power supply is ramped up to a threshold level and the timer is not expired; and

waking up the circuit when the timer expires if the circuit is not already woken.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising not waking up the circuit if the power supply is ramped up, the timer is not expired, and a control field of configuration information is in a first state;

wherein waking up the circuit if the power supply is ramped up and the timer is not expired comprises waking up the sleeping circuit if the control field is in a second state.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein waking up the circuit if the power supply is ramped up comprises waking up the circuit if a voltage of the power supply is at least a minimum operating voltage.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein waking up the circuit comprises waking up an integrated circuit.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein requesting that the power supply be enabled comprises requesting that a group of power supplies be enabled.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein waking up the circuit if the power supply is ramped up and the timer is not expired comprises waking up the circuit if the power supplies in the group of power supplies are ramped up and the timer is not expired.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein requesting that the power supply be enabled comprises requesting that a first group of power supplies be enabled and a second group of power supplies be enabled;

wherein starting a timer comprises starting a first timer corresponding to the first group and starting a second timer corresponding to the second group;

wherein waking up the circuit if the power supply is ramped up and the timer is not expired comprises waking up the circuit if the power supplies in the first group and the second group are ramped up, the first timer is not expired, and the second timer is not expired; and

waking up the circuit after the first timer expires and the second timer expires if the circuit is not already woken.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a timer;

a state machine coupled to the timer, the state machine to;

enable a power supply,

start the timer,

wake up a circuit if the power supply is ramped up to a threshold level and the timer is not expired, and

wake up the circuit when the timer expires if the circuit is not already woken.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a configuration register coupled to the state machine;

wherein the state machine is configured to;

not wake up the circuit if the power supply is ramped up, the timer is not expired, and a control field in the configuration register is in a first state, and

wake up the circuit if the power supply is ramped up, the timer is not expired, and the control field is in a second state.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the state machine receives a signal from a voltage detector indicating whether a voltage of the power supply is at least a minimum operating voltage;

wherein the state machine is configured to wake up the circuit if the voltage of the power supply is at least the minimum operating voltage and the timer is not expired.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising the voltage detector.

12. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the state machine is configured to wake up an integrated circuit.

13. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the state machine is configured to enable a group of power supplies.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the state machine is configured to wake up the circuit if the power supplies in the group of power supplies are ramped up and the timer is not expired.

15. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the timer is a first timer corresponding to a first group of power supplies, and wherein the state machine is configured to:

enable the first group of power supplies,

enable a second group of power supplies,

start a second timer corresponding to the second group of power supplies,

wake up the circuit if the power supplies in the first group and the second group are ramped up, the first timer is not expired, and the second timer is not expired, and

wake up the circuit after the first timer expires and the second timer expires if the circuit is not already woken.

16. A method comprising:

receiving an indication that a power supply is ramped up to a threshold level;

waking up a circuit in response to receiving the indication if a control field of configuration information is in a first state; and

not waking up the circuit in response to receiving the indication if the control field of configuration information is in a second state.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein receiving the indication that the power supply is ramped up comprises receiving an indication that a voltage of the power supply is at least a minimum operating voltage.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein waking up the circuit comprises waking up an integrated circuit.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein receiving the indication that the power supply is ramped up comprises receiving an indication that a group of power supplies is ramped up.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein receiving the indication that the group of power supplies is ramped up comprises receiving a first indication that a first group of power supplies is ramped up and receiving a second indication that a second group of power supplies is ramped up;

wherein waking up the circuit in response to receiving the indication comprises waking up the circuit in response to receiving the first indication and the second indication if the control field of configuration information is in the first state; and

wherein not waking up the circuit comprises not waking up the circuit in response to receiving the first indication and the second indication if the control field of configuration information is in a second state.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a state machine to;

receive an indication that a power supply is ramped up to a threshold level,

wake up a circuit in response to receiving the indication if a control field of configuration information is in a first state; and

not wake up the circuit in response to receiving the indication if the control field of configuration information is in a second state.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising a configuration register coupled to the state machine, the configuration register to store the configuration information.

23. An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the indication that the power supply is ramped up is an indication that a voltage of the power supply is at least a minimum operating voltage.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a voltage detector to detect whether the voltage of the power supply is at least the minimum operating voltage.

25. An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the state machine is configured to enable the power supply.