Maintaining optimum voltage supply to match performance of an integrated circuit
First Claim
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1. A method of providing voltage to an integrated circuit (IC), said method comprising:
- accessing a look-up table comprising values of a plurality of operating frequencies of said IC, a plurality of acceptable supply voltage ranges, and a plurality of predetermined delay measures, wherein each operating frequency is associated with a respective supply voltage of said plurality of supply voltages, and further with a respective acceptable voltage range and with a respective predetermined delay measures;
setting a supply voltage value to a selected value based on a selected operating frequency of said IC and based on said look-up table, wherein said supply voltage value is within an acceptable voltage range associated with said selected operating frequency;
measuring a delay performance of said IC associated with said selected value;
comparing said delay performance to a predetermined delay measure associated with said selected operating frequency;
lowering said supply voltage value to a voltage value below said selected value if said delay performance is greater than said predetermined delay measure;
increasing said supply voltage value to a voltage value higher than said selected value if said delay performance is less than said predetermined delay measure; and
performing said measuring more than once and in response thereto performing said lowering and said increasing respectively if said selected operating frequency remains unchanged.
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Abstract
Power supply voltage to an integrated circuit (IC) or a portion of an IC is maintained at an optimum level matching the IC performance. Voltage ranges and delay measures for corresponding operating frequencies are stored in tables in a voltage control block. When a new frequency of operation is desired, the voltage control block measures delay performance of the IC, and sets the supply voltage to a value specified in a corresponding entry in a table. The voltage control block then continues to measure delay performance, and dynamically adjusts the power supply voltage to an optimum value thereby minimizing power consumption.
290 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method of providing voltage to an integrated circuit (IC), said method comprising:
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accessing a look-up table comprising values of a plurality of operating frequencies of said IC, a plurality of acceptable supply voltage ranges, and a plurality of predetermined delay measures, wherein each operating frequency is associated with a respective supply voltage of said plurality of supply voltages, and further with a respective acceptable voltage range and with a respective predetermined delay measures; setting a supply voltage value to a selected value based on a selected operating frequency of said IC and based on said look-up table, wherein said supply voltage value is within an acceptable voltage range associated with said selected operating frequency; measuring a delay performance of said IC associated with said selected value; comparing said delay performance to a predetermined delay measure associated with said selected operating frequency; lowering said supply voltage value to a voltage value below said selected value if said delay performance is greater than said predetermined delay measure; increasing said supply voltage value to a voltage value higher than said selected value if said delay performance is less than said predetermined delay measure; and performing said measuring more than once and in response thereto performing said lowering and said increasing respectively if said selected operating frequency remains unchanged. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system comprising:
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a processing unit operable to execute instructions; a power management unit (PMU) coupled to said processing unit; a voltage control block coupled to said processing unit and said PMU, wherein said voltage control block comprises; a look-up table storing values of a plurality of operating frequencies of said processing unit, a plurality of acceptable voltage ranges, and a plurality of predetermined delay measures of said processing unit, wherein each operating frequency is associated with a respective acceptable voltage range and with a respective predetermined delay measure in said look-up; a ring oscillator operable to measure a delay performance of said processing unit; a controller operable to setting a supply voltage value to based on a selected operating frequency of said processing unit based on said look-up table, wherein said supply voltage value is within an acceptable voltage range associated with said selected operable frequency; wherein said voltage control block is further configured to; compare said delay performance to a predetermined delay measure associated with said selected operating frequency, wherein said predetermined delay measure is determined after fabrication of said processing unit; and communicate said supply voltage value to said PMU, wherein said PMU is configured to control a voltage provided by a power source to said processing unit based on said supply voltage value and a predetermined delay measure associated with said selected operating frequency, wherein said voltage control block is separate from said processing unit. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An apparatus for providing voltage supply to an integrated circuit (IC), said apparatus comprising:
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means for accessing a look-up table comprising a plurality of operating frequencies, a plurality of acceptable voltage ranges, and a plurality of predetermined delay measures, wherein each operating frequency is associated with a respective acceptable voltage range and with a respective predetermined delay measure; means for setting a supply voltage value to a selected value based on a selected operating frequency of said IC based on said look-up table, wherein said supply voltage is within an acceptable voltage range associated with said selected operation frequency; means for measuring a delay performance of said IC associated with said selected value; means for comparing said delay performance to a predetermined delay measure associated with said selected operating frequency, wherein said predetermined delay measure is determined after fabrication of said integrated circuit; means for lowering said supply voltage value to a voltage value below said selected value if said delay performance is greater than said predetermined delay measure; and means for increasing said supply voltage value to a voltage value higher than said selected value if said delay performance is less than said delay predetermined measure, wherein said means for measuring is operable to measure said delay performance more than once and in response thereto said means for increasing said supply voltage and said means for lowering said supply voltage are operable to adjust said supply voltage if said selected operating frequency remains unchanged. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification