Integrated voltage regulator with in-built process, temperature and aging compensation
First Claim
1. A method for regulating voltage for a processor, said method comprising:
- requesting a target frequency value, wherein the target frequency value determines a target clock frequency for clocking the processor;
comparing the target clock frequency to a first signal to generate an error signal;
using the error signal, generating a duty cycle control signal, wherein the duty cycle control signal is operable to generate a periodic waveform;
generating an output regulator voltage using the periodic waveform, wherein the output voltage is operable to provide power to the processor; and
providing the output regulator voltage as an input to a critical path monitoring circuit, wherein further the first signal is a delay value from the critical path monitoring circuit.
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Abstract
A method for regulating voltage for a processor is disclosed. The method comprises requesting a target frequency value, wherein the target frequency value determines a target clock frequency for clocking the processor. The method also comprises comparing the target clock frequency to a first signal to generate an error signal. Further, the method comprises using the error signal to generate a duty cycle control signal, wherein the duty cycle control signal is operable to generate a periodic waveform. Finally, the method comprises generating an output regulator voltage using the periodic waveform, wherein the output voltage is operable to provide power to the processor.
118 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for regulating voltage for a processor, said method comprising:
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requesting a target frequency value, wherein the target frequency value determines a target clock frequency for clocking the processor; comparing the target clock frequency to a first signal to generate an error signal; using the error signal, generating a duty cycle control signal, wherein the duty cycle control signal is operable to generate a periodic waveform; generating an output regulator voltage using the periodic waveform, wherein the output voltage is operable to provide power to the processor; and providing the output regulator voltage as an input to a critical path monitoring circuit, wherein further the first signal is a delay value from the critical path monitoring circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for regulating voltage for a processor, said method comprising:
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requesting a target frequency value, wherein the target frequency value determines a target clock frequency for clocking the processor; comparing the target clock frequency to a plurality of first signals to generate an error signal; using the error signal, generating a duty cycle control signal, wherein the duty cycle control signal is operable to generate a periodic waveform; generating an output regulator voltage using the periodic waveform, wherein the output voltage is operable to provide power to the processor; and providing the output regulator voltage as an input to a plurality of critical path monitoring circuits, wherein further the plurality of first signals comprise delay values from the plurality of critical path monitoring circuits. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for regulating a processor voltage, said apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of critical path monitoring circuits operating at an output regulator voltage; a plurality of phase detectors operable to compare a plurality of delay values corresponding to the plurality of critical path monitoring circuits to a target clock frequency in order to generate an error signal, wherein each of the plurality of delay values represents a critical path delay for a respective critical path of a processor; and a circuit operable to generate the output regulator voltage using the error signal, wherein the output regulator voltage is operable to provide power to the processor. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification