| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080272652 | Virtual power rail modulation within an integrated circuit - An integrated circuit | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080272809 | Integrated circuit power-on control and programmable comparator - An integrated circuit is provided with a main supply rail and a virtual supply rail connected by strong and weak header transistors. A power-on controller controls the switching on of the strong transistors after the virtual supply rail voltage has already been driven up to close to its operating level by the weak transistor. The power-on controller comprises a comparator monitoring a single reference voltage level with its output being latched within a latch and used to switch on the strong transistor. The comparator may be programmable to detect multiple different trigger voltage levels by using opposing charging and discharging transistors with one set of these operating in a saturated regime and the other in a regime in which the current therethrough varies in dependence upon the voltage being sensed. These opposing transistors can be used to charge or discharge a node with the state of that node being taken to generate the sensed output. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20090027099 | Output driver circuit having a clamped mode and an operating mode - An output driver circuit | 01-29-2009 |
| 20090051388 | Reducing leakage power in low power mode - Sequential circuitry comprising a data input, a data output, a clock signal input and a clamp signal input is disclosed. The sequential circuitry is arranged to clock a data signal received at said data input into said sequential circuitry in response to a clock signal received at said clock signal input, and to output a data signal from said sequential circuitry at said data output in response to said clock signal. The sequential circuitry is responsive to a predetermined value at said clamp signal input to switch to a low power mode and to set said data output to a forced value, while retaining said sequential state within said circuitry, said forced value being selected to reduce leakage power from combinatorial circuitry arranged to receive said output data signal. | 02-26-2009 |
| 20090066164 | Power Controlling Integrated Circuit Cell - A power controlling integrated circuit cell is provided within an integrated circuit power grid to selectively couple an unswitched power supply input to a switched power supply output. The power controlling integrated circuit cell also includes a power control signal input and a power control signal output for supporting the distribution through the integrated circuit of the power control signal. The power controlling integrated circuit cell has a power switching circuit responsive to a power control input signal received at the power control signal input to selectively connect the switched power supply output to the unswitched power supply input, and a power control signal buffer circuit responsive to the switched power supply output to drive a power control output signal from the power control signal output. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090115256 | Dynamically changing control of sequenced power gating - Power control circuitry for controlling connection of a voltage source to a switched power rail powering an associated circuit is provided. A plurality of switch blocks are connected in parallel between the switched power rail and the voltage source, each switch block being controlled by an enable signal provided by a switch controller. The switch controller performs a turn-on sequence providing a series of enable signal patterns to the switch blocks. The switch controller applies a time varying generation operation to at least one sequence stage of a predetermined turn-on sequence to produce a corresponding enable signal pattern for that sequence stage. When the turn-on sequence is later repeated, the enable signal pattern produced for at least one of the sequence stages differs from the enable signal pattern previously produced for that sequence stage. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20090115258 | Power control circuitry, circuitry for analysing a switched power rail, and method of controlling connection of a power source to a switched power rail - Power control circuitry is provided for controlling connection of a power source having a source voltage level to a switched power rail to provide power to an associated circuit block. The power control circuitry comprises a switch block for selectively connecting the switched power rail to the power source, and a switch controller for controlling operation of the switch block. A ring oscillator circuit is powered from the switched power rail and produces an oscillating output signal, and analysis circuitry is then used to analyse change in frequency of the oscillating output signal produced by the ring oscillator circuit during a period of time when the switched power rail is not at the source voltage level. The switch controller is then arranged to control at least one aspect of the operation of the switch block in dependence on the analysis. This technique provides a simple and effective digital technique for observing voltage changes on the switched power rail. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20100269004 | State Retention using a variable retention voltage - A data processing apparatus is provided with state retention circuits 14 into which state values are saved from nodes within the data processing circuitry when entering a sleep mode from an active mode. Error management circuitry | 10-21-2010 |
| 20110101998 | Operating parameter monitoring circuit and method - A monitoring circuit | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110102072 | Power management of an integrated circuit - An integrated circuit | 05-05-2011 |
