Capacitor enablement voltage level adjustment method and apparatus

• US 9,842,628 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2008
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AgigA Tech Incorporated (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: AgigA Tech Incorporated (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Sartore, Ronald H, Liu, Yingnan, Hauck, Lane
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nasir, Taqi
• Application Number:
  US12/170,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20100008174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,442 Days
• Field of Search: 324548, 324382, 324519, 32475017, 32475428, 324658, 324 7666
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/10 Programming or data input circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/225 Preventing erasure, programming or reading when power supply voltages are outside the required ranges
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/30 Power supply circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/143 Detection of memory cassette insertion or removal; Continuity checks of supply or ground lines; Detection of supply variations, interruptions or levels G11C5/148 takes precedence; Switching between alternative supplies G11C5/141 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus includes logic to determine a discharge drop of a capacitor and to adjust an enablement charge level of the capacitor according to the discharge drop.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a controller;

at least one capacitor; and

at least one of non-transitory machine memory and circuits comprising logic accessible to the controller to;

measure a first voltage of the at least one capacitor prior to beginning use of the at least one capacitor for an operation that uses the at least one capacitor as a power source;

begin the operation, using the at least one capacitor as a power source;

conclude the operation and use of the at least one capacitor as a power source;

measure a second voltage of the at least one capacitor at the conclusion of the operation and conclusion of the use of the at least one capacitor as a power source; and

set an enablement voltage level for the at least one capacitor as a minimum operating voltage level for the at least one capacitor plus a difference between the second voltage and the first voltage, the enablement voltage level being a voltage level the at least one capacitor must charge to before the apparatus enables the at least one capacitor to be used as a power source for a memory backup operation.

2. A hybrid memory module, comprising:

a controller;

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory;

at least one capacitor; and

at least one of non-transitory machine memory and circuits comprising logic accessible to the controller to;

measure a first voltage of the at least one capacitor prior to beginning use of the at least one capacitor for an operation that uses the at least one capacitor as a power source;

begin the operation, using the at least one capacitor as a power source;

conclude the operation and use of the at least one capacitor as a power source;

measure a second voltage of the at least one capacitor at the conclusion of the operation and conclusion of the use of the at least one capacitor as a power source; and

set an enablement voltage level for the at least one capacitor for use as a power source to back up contents of the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory, the enablement voltage level set as a minimum operating voltage level for the at least one capacitor plus a difference between the second voltage and the first voltage, the enablement voltage level being a voltage level the at least one capacitor must charge to before the apparatus enables the at least one capacitor to be used as a power source for backing up the contents of the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory.