Adaptive voltage converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10338632-B2
Application number	US-201515516883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2015
Priority date	Oct 20, 2014
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

An adaptive voltage converter adapted to compensate for the exponential sensitivities of sub-threshold and near-threshold circuits. The converter can change its power/performance characteristics between different energy modes. The converter may comprise two or more voltage converters/regulators. A multiplexing circuit selects between the outputs of the several converters/regulators depending on the state of a control signal generated by a control facility. The converter is specially adapted to change the output of each converter/regulator based on a number of variables, including, for example, process corner, temperature and input voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. In an ultra-low power sub-threshold integrated circuit comprising a transistor having a threshold voltage Vth, a voltage conversion method adapted to deliver to a load a regulated voltage having a selected one of a first current capability and a second current capability less than the first current capability, said method comprising the steps of:
[1.1] selectively developing a first voltage having the first current capability;
[1.2] selectively developing a second voltage having the second current capability; and
[1.3] selecting as the regulated voltage one of the first and second voltages as a function of a current consumption of the load;

dynamically adjusting at least one of the first and second voltages as a function complementary to absolute temperature; and
selecting at least one of the first and second voltages to be a selected one of a sub-threshold voltage less than said threshold voltage of said transistor (Vdd<Vth) and a near-threshold voltage greater than or equal to said threshold voltage of said transistor and less than or equal to 0.4 volts above said threshold of said transistor (Vth≤Vdd≤(Vth+0.4 volts)).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein both the first and the second voltages are dynamically adjusted as a function complementary to absolute temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first voltage is developed from a reference voltage using a switching conversion technique.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second voltage is developed from a reference voltage using a linear conversion technique.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the first voltage is developed from a reference voltage using a switching conversion technique, and
the second voltage is developed from a reference voltage using a linear conversion technique.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein both the first and second voltages are developed from a reference voltage using a linear conversion technique.

7. The method of claim 1 :
wherein the load is adapted to operate in a selected one of two current consumption modes; and
wherein step [1.3] is further characterized as selecting as the regulated voltage one of the first and second voltages as a function of the operating mode of the load.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, causes the processing system to perform the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 and 2 - 7 .

9. A voltage converter facility comprising a transistor having a threshold voltage (Vth) configured to deliver to a load a regulated voltage as a function of a current consumption of the load, said voltage converter facility adapted to:
selectively develop a first voltage having the first current capability;
selectively develop a second voltage having the second current capability; and
select as the regulated voltage one of the first and second voltages as a function of a current consumption of the load;
dynamically adjust at least one of the first and second voltages as a function complementary to absolute temperature; and
selecting at least one of the first and second voltages to be a selected one of a sub-threshold voltage less than said threshold voltage of said transistor (Vdd<Vth) and a near-threshold voltage greater than or equal to said threshold voltage of said transistor and less than or equal to 0.4 volts above said threshold voltage of said transistor (Vth≤Vdd≤(Vth+0.4 volts)).

10. An electronic system comprising a regulated voltage delivered to a load, said electronic system comprising a voltage converter facility configured to deliver the regulated voltage as a function of current consumption of the load, said voltage converter facility according to claim 9 .

Assignees

• Ambiq Micro Inc
• Hanson Scott
• Lu Yanning

Inventors

• Hanson Scott
• Lu Yanning

Classifications

• G06F1/06 Primary

  Clock generators producing several clock signals {(G06F1/08 - G06F1/14 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G05F1/575

  characterised by the feedback circuit · CPC title

• H03L7/181

  a numerical count result being used for locking the loop, the counter counting during fixed time intervals {(H03L7/1806 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H03L7/18

  using a frequency divider or counter in the loop (H03L7/20, H03L7/22 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03L7/06

  using a reference signal applied to a frequency- or phase-locked loop · CPC title