Integrated circuit power rail multiplexing
First Claim
1. An integrated circuit comprising:
- a first power rail;
a second power rail;
a load power rail;
a first set of transistors including first transistors that are coupled between the first power rail and the load power rail, each first transistor disposed in one of multiple power-multiplexer tiles, the power-multiplexer tiles configured in a chained arrangement;
a second set of transistors including second transistors that are coupled between the second power rail and the load power rail, each second transistor disposed in one of the power-multiplexer tiles; and
power-multiplexer circuitry configured to switch access to power for the load power rail from the first power rail to the second power rail by sequentially turning off the first transistors of the first set of transistors in a first direction along the chained arrangement and then sequentially turning on the second transistors of the second set of transistors in a second direction along the chained arrangement, the second direction opposite the first direction, and configured to switch access to power for the load power rail from the second power rail to the first power rail by sequentially turning off the second transistors of the second set of transistors in the first direction along the chained arrangement and then sequentially turning on the first transistors of the first set of transistors in the second direction along the chained arrangement.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An integrated circuit (IC) is disclosed herein for power management through power rail multiplexing. In an example aspect, an IC includes a first power rail, a second power rail, and a load power rail. The IC also includes a first set of transistors including first transistors that are coupled to the first power rail and a second set of transistors including second transistors that are coupled to the second power rail. The IC further includes power-multiplexer circuitry that is configured to switch access to power for the load power rail from the first power rail to the second power rail by sequentially turning off the first transistors of the first set of transistors and then sequentially turning on the second transistors of the second set of transistors.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. An integrated circuit comprising:
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a first power rail; a second power rail; a load power rail; a first set of transistors including first transistors that are coupled between the first power rail and the load power rail, each first transistor disposed in one of multiple power-multiplexer tiles, the power-multiplexer tiles configured in a chained arrangement; a second set of transistors including second transistors that are coupled between the second power rail and the load power rail, each second transistor disposed in one of the power-multiplexer tiles; and power-multiplexer circuitry configured to switch access to power for the load power rail from the first power rail to the second power rail by sequentially turning off the first transistors of the first set of transistors in a first direction along the chained arrangement and then sequentially turning on the second transistors of the second set of transistors in a second direction along the chained arrangement, the second direction opposite the first direction, and configured to switch access to power for the load power rail from the second power rail to the first power rail by sequentially turning off the second transistors of the second set of transistors in the first direction along the chained arrangement and then sequentially turning on the first transistors of the first set of transistors in the second direction along the chained arrangement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 19)
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12. An integrated circuit comprising:
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a first power rail; a second power rail; a load power rail; a first set of transistors including first transistors that are coupled between the first power rail and the load power rail, each first transistor disposed in one of multiple power-multiplexer tiles, the power-multiplexer tiles configured in a chained arrangement; a second set of transistors including second transistors that are coupled between the second power rail and the load power rail, each second transistor disposed in one of the power-multiplexer tiles; and means for switching access to power for the load power rail from the first power rail to the second power rail, including; means for sequentially turning off the first transistors of the first set of transistors in a first direction along the chained arrangement; and means for sequentially turning on the second transistors of the second set of transistors after the first transistors of the first set of transistors are off, the second transistors turned on in a second direction along the chained arrangement, the second direction opposite the first direction. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for power rail multiplexing in an integrated circuit, the method comprising:
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supplying power to a circuit load at a first voltage using first transistors of a first set of transistors, the first transistors coupled to a first power rail that corresponds to the first voltage, each first transistor disposed in one of multiple power-multiplexer tiles, the power-multiplexer tiles configured in a chained arrangement; sequentially turning off the first transistors of the first set of transistors, the first transistors turned off in a first direction along the chained arrangement; after sequentially turning off the first transistors, sequentially turning on second transistors of a second set of transistors, the second transistors coupled to a second power rail that corresponds to a second voltage, each second transistor disposed in one of the power-multiplexer tiles, the second transistors turned on in a second direction along the chained arrangement, the second direction opposite the first direction; and supplying power to the circuit load at the second voltage using the second transistors of the second set of transistors. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. An integrated circuit comprising:
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a circuit load; a first power rail; a second power rail; a load power rail that is coupled to the circuit load; and multiple power-multiplexer tiles, each power-multiplexer tile including a first transistor coupled between the first power rail and the load power rail and a second transistor coupled between the second power rail and the load power rail, the multiple power-multiplexer tiles disposed in a chained arrangement and configured to propagate a selection signal between consecutive power-multiplexer tiles in a first direction along the chained arrangement to disconnect the first power rail or the second power rail from the load power rail and to propagate a feedback signal between consecutive power-multiplexer tiles in a second direction along the chained arrangement to connect the second power rail or the first power rail to the load power rail, the second direction opposite the first direction. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification