Apparatus and method for recovery of wasted power from differential drivers

• US 8,638,075 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analogix Semiconductor, Inc. (Beijing Shanhai Capital Management Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Analogix Semiconductor, Inc. (Beijing Shanhai Capital Management Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chi, Hongwu
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehari, Yemane
• Application Number:
  US13/237,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20120007664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 323/220, 323/222, 323/224, 323/234, 323/268, 327/540, 327/541, 455 91-129
• US Class Current: 323/268
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45008 the addition of two signals being made by a resistor addition circuit for producing the common mode signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45466 the CSC being controlled, e.g. by a signal derived from a non specified place in the dif amp circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45506 the CSC comprising only one switch
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45654 the LC comprising one or more extra diodes not belonging to mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45696 the LC comprising more than two resistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45183 Long tailed pairs H03F3/4521, H03F3/45237 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/0019 by energy recovery or adiabatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0264 Arrangements for coupling to transmission lines duplexing arrangements H04L5/14; line equalisers, line build-out devices H04L25/03878
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0272 Arrangements for coupling to multiple lines, e.g. for differential transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/028 Arrangements specific to the transmitter end

Abstract

An apparatus and method for supplying power to circuits of an integrated circuit (IC) from the wasted power in low-swing high-speed differential line drivers used in the IC, is disclosed. In a high speed line driver the load resistors of the driver are connected to a power supply, either the local power supply or the receiver power supply. DC power for the driver is supplied through these resistors. A large portion of this power, supplied from the power supply is wasted in the DC set-up circuit of the differential line driver. It is proposed to use this wasted power to power selected circuits of an IC. The use of this wasted power from the drivers for powering the circuits reduces the overall power dissipation of the system.

Claims

1. A method for powering a part of an electronic circuit from at least a portion of wasted power recovered from a differential driver pair, the method comprising:

biasing sources of the differential driver pair using a biasing control circuit;

recovering the at least a portion of wasted power from the biasing control circuit;

regulating the recovered power; and

,

supplying the regulated power as voltage and current output to power at least part of the electronic circuit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit is a portion of one of:

an integrated circuit (IC), a system on chip (SOC), a chip on board (COB).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein using the recovered power reduces the power consumption of said one of:

IC, SOC, COB.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recovering comprises:

recovering the power supplied through resistor loads connected to a supply voltage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said regulating of the recovered power further comprises:

boosting the voltage to a usable voltage by means of a voltage booster.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein using the recovered power reduces the total power dissipation of the system.

7. A power recovery and supply method for recovering and using wasted power from a DC coupled output driver pair of a TMDS comprising:

biasing sources of the DC coupled output driver pair using a biasing control circuit;

recovering the wasted power of the DC coupled output driver pair using a power recovery circuit;

regulating the recovered power using a voltage regulator; and

supplying the regulated power as voltage and current outputs to power at least a portion of the circuits of the system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method is implemented in one of:

an integrated circuit (IC), a system on chip (SOC), a chip on board (COB).

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the DC coupled output drivers are part of a TMDS that is a HDMI transmitter system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the DC coupled output drivers are part of a TMDS that is a DVI transmitter system.